Lakes Letter – Mar 15th, 2020

LAKES LETTER || COVID-19 Public Statement | Food Safety at Lakes 2020 | Newbie Orientation | Lakes in Space Effigy Announcement | 2019 Financial Statements and AfterBurn Report

We expect Michigan’s Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, to make statements daily or weekly for the sake of managing the public health.  The dates and plans below reflect GLEA leadership’s discussion and intentions as of March 15th, 2020.  As news continues to develop in days weeks ahead, we will do our level best to send any communications that affect your plans ASAP.  –Team Info_bot

COVID-19 Public Statement

As you might imagine, Lakes of Fire leadership is paying close attention to what is happening in the world and in the Michigan area regarding the novel Coronavirus, or COVID-19. We want the community to know that we have been following the rapidly changing developments and take this issue seriously.

As of March 13, Governor Whitmer has issued a ban on gatherings over 250 people in Michigan until April 5. Surrounding states have issued similar bans as well, some for a longer duration.

At this point, we are still planning for Lakes of Fire 2020 to take place. We are working closely with Oceana County Health Department and local officials to stay up to date and will follow local public health guidelines about large gatherings, which may include cancellation.

We will have a much better picture of how COVID-19 has affected the US in a week or so. Should circumstances dictate that the event be canceled, we will communicate that to you as soon as possible and determine the best path forward. Our top concern is the well-being of our community.

We are also considering ways to make sure our event and community will be as safe as possible as we continue to plan for Lakes of Fire 2020. Precautions currently include adding a hand washing station to each Porto bank and having more hand sanitizer available. We encourage participants to consider steps that they can take as they plan their camps and projects in the coming months. We will let you know about any additional steps and changes as they occur.

Art grants are currently proceeding. If Lakes of Fire is canceled, we will not ask artists to refund money already given. The Art Grants team will be reaching out to grantees directly with more information and will be able to answer any additional questions they may have.

Thank you,

BrewBear, Jackpot, Jin, Megan, Rabit, Scottie & Skennedy

Board of Directors

Great Lakes Experimental Arts

Food Safety at Lakes 2020

Is your camp a food camp?  Do you plan on serving or handing out food?  This is the year to take our practices of safe handling and distribution of food to the next level.  Please email Liz of dcbbq at liz@lakesoffire.org . She is beginning a new group for food sharing camps to discuss safe food serving practices and help everyone plan for safety.  Be sure to include the name of your camp in your email.

Newbie Orientation

Like all our plans for 2020, please keep an eye on these events for changes or postponement, as changes can happen overnight.

As of this writing, Chicago Orientation is currently planned for Saturday April 25th starting at 3 PM, held in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood at Celtic Crown Public House, 4301 N Western Ave. Come get educated and acculturated!  Meet fellow newbies as well as seasoned veterans and discover more about Lakes of Fire and the 10 Principles of Burning Man.  If you are on Facebook, you can follow event details and changes here.

Detroit Orientation is currently planned for Wednesday, April 1st from 6 PM – 9 PM, location TBD.  If you are on Facebook, you can follow the event details and changes here.

Lakes in Space Effigy Announcement

UFO SIGHTING – A large spherical object has been spotted plummeting from earth’s upper atmosphere. The point of origin, metro Detroit, was discovered while tracking its ion trail. Current trajectory puts the point of impact at a campground known as Lucky Lake.

There appears to be a rupture in the spacecraft’s warp core that has caused a tear in the fabric of spacetime. From our scanner we can see signs of life aboard the starship. A full grown tree is appearing through the gap in the fabric of reality. No one knows what will become of the intrepid Life Star craft as it makes its spectacular crash landing but you can bet on a fiery explosion before the end.

Would you like to know more?

2019 Financial Statement and AfterBurn Report

If you’re curious about how Lakes of Fire fared  in 2019, you can check out the official 2019 Financial Statement and AfterBurn Report on our website.

Lakes Letter – Feb 13th, 2020

LAKES LETTER || Ticketing Update – Don’t Wait! | Art Grants Update | Newbie Orientation | Mobility Squad Update | Code of Conduct Committee FAQ

Ticketing Update – Don’t Wait!

If you received a volunteer ticket offer and plan to go in 2020, don’t wait!  Volunteer ticket offers expire on Feb 22nd.

Lottery registration began Feb 1st and will end on Feb 22nd.  Lottery ticket sales will begin Feb 29th.  Learn about the registration process, registering your minors, and more on our Ticketing Page.

Did you know that Lakes of Fire has a Low-Income Discount (LID) program?  A discounted ticket is $63 (all fees are included).  You will need to meet our LID criteria and have a ticket offer in-hand to qualify.  Check out the Low-Income Discount Page to learn more and apply.  The application for non-volunteer tickets will close Feb 22nd.

Art Grants Update

The Art Grants team met on 2/12 in a marathon 4-hour call for the first review of all 82 grant applications. Emails have gone out to a dozen or so artists with follow up questions that need to be answered soon.  If you submitted an art grant, check the email you provided in your application to see if we sent you a question. Our facilitators are fully diving into applications so sending us your response is time sensitive.  Reach out to Foxy and Sparkplug if you have any questions.

There is a lot of magical stuff being proposed, making our jobs even harder!  More news to come… STAY TUNED.

Newbie Orientation

Do you want to attend Lakes of Fire for the first time? Is this perhaps your first burn of any kind? Do you have questions about the event or Burning Man culture? Have you been to many burns and have some stories to share? Have no fear! Lakes of Fire Newbie Orientation is here for you.

Orientation will be Saturday April 25th starting at 3 PM, held in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood at Celtic Crown Public House, 4301 N Western Ave. Come get educated and acculturated!  Meet fellow newbies as well as seasoned veterans and discover more about Lakes of Fire and the 10 Principles of Burning Man.

Mobility Squad Update!

Greetings campers!  Kelly Bells here. Big thanks for the awesome response to this initiative. This is what radical inclusion is all about!

EXCITING UPDATE FOR 2020!!  This year, every row of portos will include one that is accessible! This may not seem like a big deal, but it’s huge for those who benefit from the features accessible portos provide. Hooray! Let’s remember to only use the accessible portos as a last resort if you are able-bodied, and leave them especially clean for our campers with disabilities and small children needing parental assistance.

A reminder that anyone with mobility challenges will be able to request assistance with setting up and tearing down your tent this year. Look for the checkbox when purchasing your ticket to indicate you need help. I will be reaching out to everyone after ticket sales have closed to get your arrival details and schedule our volunteers.

Note – Setup help is for individual tents only. Theme camp/infrastructure set up is not included.

We are taking names of ticketed individuals who are interested in volunteering for the Mobility Squad. Volunteer scheduling will begin when ticket sales have closed. These are the volunteer roles we will have available:

• Shuttle Drivers: 4 hours – First dibs to those with mobility issues. Drive shuttle cart around the lake and give rides to those in need. Check in on campers with disabilities and provide rides where needed. Shuttle times based on demand and number of volunteers. Sobriety required.
• Setup Helpers: 4 hours – Teams of 2 will assist with tent setup and/or breakdown for campers who have requested help. Scheduling based on demand.
• Shift Leaders: 4 hours – Shift leads will be responsible for wrangling our volunteers during shift changes and be the point person for anything that comes up during the shift, including directing Setup Helpers to where they are needed and documenting hours for volunteers. Scheduling based on demand.

We can also connect you to other departments with volunteer roles for campers with mobility challenges. Reach out – we are here to help!

-Kelly Bells

LOFMOBILITY@GMAIL.COM

Code of Conduct Committee FAQ

This is the first post in a series about the Code of Conduct Committee.  Today we give you an introductory article to answer some frequently asked questions.

What is the Code of Conduct Committee?

The committee is a group of veteran burners who are volunteering in order to help our burn be fun and safer for EVERYONE. They are a third-party team that listens, supports, and investigates interpersonal issues. Burner culture is in many ways ahead of others when it comes to consent, but we can do even better, and the organizers of Lakes of Fire and the Code of Conduct Committee members want the community to know we take conduct concerns seriously.

What does the Code of Conduct Committee do?

The committee listens, supports, documents, and potentially does some additional fact-finding after a report of a consent violation or other violation of our Code of Conduct.  All communications with the Conduct Committee are confidential; the committee accepts reports directly and throughout the year.  Investigations may take time as committee members gather information, document all angles possible, consider patterns, and make recommendations to the Board of Directors, who then make a final determination on how to act.

The Conduct Committee is intended to educate, not punish, and recommend actions in the interest of community safety.  Serious violations may lead to asking people not to return to the event or removing them from event-owned social media groups.

When should I contact the Code of Conduct Committee?

If you are aware of any violation of consent or our Code of Conduct policies, you can contact the committee (see below). Provide all of the information you have, even if it is incomplete. The CoCC handles issues year-round; however, urgent conduct reports submitted between the two weeks preceding Lakes of Fire and the two weeks after will be handled by the Board of Directors.

Who is on the Code of Conduct Committee?

Code of Conduct Committee members are nominated, interviewed, vetted veteran burners with passion, knowledge, and training in consent-related matters. While we try to be as transparent as possible, the identities of our Conduct Committee team are not released. Anonymity protects EVERYONE involved from harassment – those who report and those who investigate. Please be assured that Committee members are not current Lakes of Fire Department Team Leads or Board members (other than the non-voting Board liaison) in order to promote an environment of fair decision-making.

How do I contact the Code of Conduct Committee?

You can reach the committee by emailing us at conduct@lakesoffire.org or you can use the Conduct Report Form to submit a report. To learn more about the committee, you can visit the Code of Conduct page on our website.

Lakes Letter – Jan 21st, 2020

LAKES LETTER || Is Your Email Filtering Us!? | Ticketing Updates | Volunteer Ticketing Updates | Theme Camp Forms and Dates | Art Grants Application Closing Soon! | Lakes in Space, Call For Effigy | An Update from your Mobility Liaison

Is Your Email Filtering Us?!

If so, you may not even see this! But just in case: if you think you’ve missed emails from Lakes of Fire, check your Spam, Social, or Promotions folders on your email client.

Pro tip for those looking for an email from Ticketing, especially gmail users: try a search for “tickets@lakesoffire.org” We’re getting a few reports that GMail is auto-sorting Ticketing emails into folders, instead of leaving it in the inbox.

Ticketing Updates

Lakes of Fire will take place at Lucky Lake, June 17-21, 2020.  A full-priced ticket to Lakes of Fire this year will cost $126.  If you get a ticket, you will need to electronically agree to our 2020 Terms of Service (which looks suspiciously similar to our waiver).

Did you know that Lakes of Fire has a Low-Income Discount (LID) program?  A discounted ticket is $63 (all fees are included).  You will need to meet our LID criteria and have a ticket offer in-hand to qualify.  Check out the Low-Income Discount Page to learn more and apply.  The application for non-volunteer tickets will close Feb 22nd, 2020.

Much like last year, we will offer tickets through a lottery system on our ticket platform, BurnerTickets.com.  Lottery registration will begin Feb 1st, 2020 and end on Feb 22nd, 2020.  Lottery ticket sales will begin Feb 29th, 2020.  Learn about the registration process, registering your minors, and more on our Ticketing Page.

Volunteer Ticketing Updates

Volunteer ticket offers were sent by email on Jan 18th, 2020.  If you worked 8 or more hours for a Lakes of Fire department last year, you should have received an offer to the email address you used for volunteering.  Check your inbox, your Spam folders, and under the couch. Volunteer ticket offers expire on Feb 22nd, 2020.

If you qualify for our Low-Income Discount program and have a full-price ticket offer, you can get your ticket for $63 instead of $126.  Fill in the Volunteer LID Application no later than Feb. 1st, 2020.  You can still email the LID Team directly if you missed the deadline.

All other questions about your ticket offer should go directly to the 2020 Volunteer Ticket Inquiries form.

Theme Camp Forms and Dates

Theme Camp Registration Form will open on Feb 17th, 2020. The form will accept Theme Camp Applications for 6 weeks and close Mar 30th, 2020.  Keep an eye on the Key Dates and Forms page for the link.

You can also apply for Directed Theme Camp Ticketing on the Key Dates and Forms page.  You have until Feb 22nd, 2020 to apply for a block of tickets for your camp.  (Learn more about Directed Theme Camp Tickets on our website.)

Art Grant Applications Closing Soon!

The Art Grants Application form is still open and closing soon. You have until Jan 31st, 2020 to apply!

Lakes in Space, Call for Effigy

We’ve received some exciting napkin art and would love to see more! If you didn’t submit a napkin, get us your full submission today!  The window is closing!

Any questions, just hit us up at effigy@lakesoffire.org.

An Update from your Mobility Liaison

Kelly Bells here, your 2020 Lakes of Fire Mobility Liaison. I’m super excited to be spearheading this effort and am very appreciative of everyone who has already reached out and offered to help with this initiative.

Just a heads up that there will be an opportunity for you to voluntarily register as someone with a mobility challenge when you purchase your ticket.

Our goal is to provide assistance with setup and breakdown of your tent for those who request it, and get you connected with volunteer opportunities that will cater to your mobility needs. We will also be using this as a gauge for determining shuttle service.

You can contact me at lofmobility@gmail.com. I do have a full time job in addition to this volunteer role, so be patient when waiting for a response. I will get back to you ASAP.

Thanks!

Special Announcement: Event Dates for 2020

At last!

We’re happy to share dates for Lakes of Fire 2020: Lakes in Space.

Wednesday, June 17 – Sunday, June 21, 2020

The weekend of Father’s Day has been our traditional weekend for the burn and 2020 will be no exception.

Getting Tickets for 2020

Ticketing for Lakes of Fire 2020 will use the same process as 2019 (BurnerTickets.com).  Volunteer ticket sales are expected to begin on January 18 and must be purchased by February 22.  Please see our Volunteer Ticketing page for more information!

Registration for the ticket lottery is expected to begin on February 1, 2020, and to remain open until February 22, 2020 (at 23:59:59 central time).  Details are available on the Ticketing Page.

FYD!

-The Info_bot

Lakes Letter – December 15th, 2019

LAKES LETTER || Call for Effigy, Art Facilitators, and DT Jury | Art Grant Updates | Welcome our Mobility Liaison! | A Message to our Volunteers | Ticketing Process

Call for Effigy Ideas

We need your ideas for the 2020 effigy!  Some of the best ideas come from the roughest 

drafts.  Just look at Pumpkinscape’s humble beginnings!

This isn’t just a call to artists.  It’s an invitation to everyone who wants to join in. The call for early submissions gives us a chance to connect you with other artists, builders, and architects.

Send us your ideas by January 3rd. You don’t have to have a team or all the answers – a sketch will do, even on a napkin.  The full application is due January 20th; you can read about the full build application process here.

Call for Art Grant Facilitators

If you want to volunteer pre-event and support the arts at Lakes, I have great news: the Art Grants team is recruiting facilitators!

Facilitators are a vital part of Lakes of Fire.  They select which art projects will be awarded a grant. They also act as key contacts for artists before and during the event.

Read more and apply now for the team.  We need you as early as January!

Call for Directed Ticket Jury

The Ticketing team is now accepting applications for community juror positions for the Theme Camp Directed Tickets program.

Once DT applications are submitted, jurors from the community and LOF Leads grade theme camp applications to allocate the limited number of directed tickets available for the 2020 event. Read more and apply for the jury.

Art Grant Updates

The 2020 Art Grant Application opens December 23, 2019! Check out the Art Grants page for guidelines, sample applications and more.  You can also get in touch with the team at artgrants@lakesoffire.org.  Get ready!

Welcome our Mobility Liaison!

We are thrilled to announce a new initiative: Mobility! We’re exploring a number of ways to improve our Burn for not-so-mobile folx, including expanded shuttles with later hours, volunteer opportunities for those with mobility issues, increasing awareness, increased access to large port-o-potties, and assistance with set-up and tear down.

Kelly Bells, a longtime Lakes of Fire participant, has volunteered to step up as the new Mobility Liaison. Kelly herself has mobility challenges, and wants to help those with mobility difficulties have a more inclusive, less reclusive experience at the Lake.

Check out the new ADA/Mobility Liaison page or contact Kelly directly at mobility@lakesoffire.org.

A Message to our Volunteers

As an entirely volunteer-led and organized event, Lakes couldn’t happen without everyone who took a shift during the burn.  Thanks to everyone who put in the time in 2019!

All volunteer hours have now been collected and compiled by the Volunteering team.  If you have any questions about your hours, to please contact the Volunteer Dream Team directly at volunteer@lakesoffire.org.

Ticketing Process

We are still finalizing the event dates for 2020.  In the meantime, December is a good time to read up on the Lakes of Fire ticket lottery process.  Since we’re sticking with BurnerTickets.com for 2020, you can expect the Ticketing page to be helpful and accurate.

Effigy Proposals: Send Us Your Napkins!

Who makes the Effigy for Lakes of Fire? You do!

You make it by submitting anything from an idea to a full-blown proposal. You make it by getting involved with the planning and leadership of the build team – even if you aren’t totally sure how! The Effigy Council is here to help bring visions from the community to life – visions like yours. Don’t let uncertainty keep you on the sidelines – all you need to start is a sketch, even on a napkin.

Draw your idea and send it to effigy@lakesoffire.org. Extra credit for ideas sent in by January 3rd!

Lakes Letter – Nov 9th, 2019

TOPICS: Fall Leads Retreat Update | Theme Announcement for 2020!

Fall Leads Retreat Update

The Fall Retreat saw some new leaders and new roles:

• Effigy Council.  Effigy Council has assumed full department status, headed by Mario and Odin who join us as leads.  Welcome to the team!
• GLEA Board.  Let’s welcome Board members to their 3-year appointments:
  • Jin – She’s returning for a full term!
  • Jackpot – Jackpot will get full boardie status in January 2020.
• New Leads in Training.  We are thrilled to see new faces stepping up to make Lakes of Fire great with their energy, ideas, and hard work.  Please welcome your new Leads In Training:
  • Alice, LIT for Perimeter Ninjas
  • Squeezie, LIT for Gate
  • Tripbox, LIT for Art Hub

A huge shout-out to our entire Board, and especially Megan, for the hours of thought, planning, and coordination it took to make the retreat a success.  You ran a packed agenda with a full room. It could not have happened without you.

Theme Announcement for 2020!

The Lakes of Fire leads team has waited patiently for this letter to drop.  It’s time we made it official: the Lakes of Fire theme for 2020.

But first… If you haven’t already, join the Lakes Letter to get key dates for the ticket lottery, event times in 2020, and more important updates like these.

And thanks to everyone who sent their ideas in the August call for themes.  The leads deliberated over the community’s submissions in the weeks before the retreat and voted by paper ballot to decide the winner.

Fam.

We’re going to space!

Several people submitted space themes; Lakes in Space was the title chosen with the principle of Community Effort.

Hope to see you at Lakes of Fire 2020: LAKES IN SPACE!

Lakes Letter – October 6th, 2019

TOPICS: Last Call for Theme Suggestions

Last Call for Theme Suggestions

Thanks for everyone who has used the Theme Suggestion Form for 2020!  For everyone how hasn’t chipped in yet, you have just one more week to get your suggestion in.  Don’t wait – we’ll be closing the form on Saturday, October 13th at 11:59 PM EDT.

This year we’re asking all suggestions to focus on 1 of the 10 Principles, so grab your thinking cap and brush up on your Burning Man big ideas.  Good luck!

Lakes Letter – August 23rd, 2019

TOPICS: Call for 2020 Theme Suggestions | G.L.E.A. BOARD MEMBERS NEEDED! | About Volunteer Hours

Call for 2020 Theme Suggestions

The Theme Suggestion Form for 2020 is now open!  As with last year, we will collect suggestions from the entire community, after which the Lakes of Fire leads will consider all options to choose one theme from the bunch.  This year we’re asking all suggestions to focus on 1 of the 10 Principles, so grab your thinking cap and brush up on your Burning Man big ideas.  Good luck!

G.L.E.A Board Members Needed!

Great Lakes Experimental Arts, Inc. is seeking highly-dedicated volunteers to join the Board of Directors. Board members are the legal face of Lakes of Fire and are directly responsible for the long term production and sustainability of our event. There are no prerequisites for joining other than a deep commitment to seeing Lakes of Fire continue to thrive.

If you feel you have the experience and desire to serve the organization, event, and attendees through this vital role, fill out the interest form before 11:59 pm EST on September 14, 2019 to be considered for the open Board positions.

About Volunteer Hours

There has been some confusion about the volunteer hour confirmation process.  Just in case you need this information:

1. If you volunteered with more than one department… First, thank you, that is rad.  Second, you need to get confirmation for your hours separately with each department.  They can only confirm the shift(s) you did with them and not with any other team at Lakes of Fire.
2. If you volunteered with your theme camp, go you!  But sadly that time counts toward the awesomeness of your camp and not toward Lakes of Fire volunteer hours.

Lakes Letter – July 18th, 2019

TOPICS: 2019 Event Surveys | Code of Conduct Announcement

2019 Event Surveys

We hope your decompression and return to consensus reality is going as well as can be expected.  Maybe a little sharing will help?  The Lakes of Fire Leads miss you and would love to hear from you!

By taking our Summerween Event Survey you can tell us all about how your burn went and what you want to see next year.

And!  By taking the ArtHub Feedback Survey you can help us develop awesome new ideas for next year’s art programming!

Code of Conduct Announcement

As we come down from the glow of the burn, we think it’s important to remind the community that we share a collective drive to create a better consent-based culture at Lakes of Fire and beyond. Part of that effort is accountability regarding violations of our Code of Conduct. If you or anyone you know have experienced an incident, we encourage you to contact our newly formed Code of Conduct Committee. All communications with the committee will remain confidential.

The committee consists of members of the community who have stepped up to offer empathetic support, document reports, and review conduct incidents that occurred at the event and in the year round Burning Man community that exists beyond the event.  Members have been recommended by fellow Lakes of Fire participants and are anonymous. They are dedicated to protecting community safety and event continuity. We are actively seeking new committee members; you can indicate your interest via the Code of Conduct Committee application form.

Please see our Code of Conduct to review what our community standards are, and for more information on how to submit a report to the committee.  Thank you for keeping our burn a safer place for all.

Lakes Letter – May 17th, 2019

TOPICS: More Tickets for 2019 | The Map is Ready! | Courtesy Reminders | Moop Advisory | Food Drive | Event Submission Deadline | Gate Procedure Changes | About Campfires

More Tickets for 2019

After much deliberation, we have decided to release up to 100 additional tickets for Lakes of Fire 2019.  You have our community and ticket-holding attendees to thank for this – the response to our volunteering call-to-action was immense!  You really stepped up to fill critical volunteer shifts that guarantee the safety of the event, and we cannot thank you enough.

Friday, May 17th (hey, that’s today!), 90 tickets will be released to the Burner Tickets wait list.  This is the first round of tickets for release; it is very likely that we will release another round.  Keep your eyes on your inbox and on our Facebook group for more ticketing updates.

The Map is Ready!

And, to answer a frequently asked question: Yes, there is open RV camping!  It’s in the Back 40, just north of the Shambulance and west of the mummy.

Courtesy Reminders

• When you enter the property, please do not speed!
• If you can’t commit to a volunteer shift, please cancel on Signup by Friday June 7th. This is the Friday before the week of the Burn.
• If you have to cancel or change a shift during the event, go to the Nexus. We won’t be using Signup at all during the event. Plus, at the Nexus, our friendly team can help you swap for a shift that suits you better 🙂
• If possible, please print your ticket. To print your ticket, log in to your Burner Tickets account, go to “My Events/Transfers”, and click on the button that says “eTicket”. You can print out this ticket directly from your browser. Please verify that you have a valid ticket before hopping in a vehicle! If you have unexpected problems, please contact tickets@lakesoffire.org.

Moop Advisory

• There will be a trash collection station at the end of Gate road during Exodus. You may pay $5/bag to dump moop before leaving the property (no furniture). The proceeds, less the dumpster fee, will be donated to the local fire department!
• Please don’t forget to drop off your returnables at Recycle Camp!
• Do NOT dump your trash in town or at the closest freeway exit – if you do not use the trash collection station, you need to take your trash all the way home.
• You must clean out your campfire ring (ash, wood, and all) before leaving. Unburned firewood may be stacked neatly next to fire ring.

Food Drive

Scare Away Hunger this Summerween! Greeters are collecting food for the Trinity Community Pantry this year. Please remember to pack a few non-perishable food items or unused toiletries.

The Trinity Community Pantry in New Era Michigan provides 4,500 lbs of food to over 180 families every week. This area of Michigan has one of the highest hunger rates. The Greeter station will be accepting food donations throughout the event, up to 3 p.m. on exodus Sunday. Donations must be unopened and non-perishable. Cans are preferred; please, no glass. Unopened and unused toiletries are also accepted.

Event Submission Deadline

The WhatWhereWhen submission portal will close on Sunday, May 19th. Don’t wait – if you want to see your event in the schedule, you have until then to get it in!

Gate Procedure Changes

Read the updated Gate Check-In Procedure on our website. Some highlights are below.

• Gate accepts only valid state-issued IDs or passports; we cannot accept expired IDs.
• Register your minors! Otherwise you may get tied up at entry.
• Smuggling someone into the event results in the ticket of each person in the vehicle being revoked without refund.

About Campfires

Like every year, all attendees are strongly encouraged to re-read the Survival Guide to ensure their readiness. In particular, let’s review the section on campfires. Plan your campfire accordingly!

• Keyhole Theme Camps: Fire rings or fire on the ground is NOT allowed, but elevated burn barrels are allowed. FAST requests that all fire, other than cooking stoves, be placed on the road/path side of your camp and not put in the middle of your camp with tents and such surrounding the fire. We request, as always, that any open fire (flame effect or burn barrel) have a fire extinguisher in close proximity to the fire in case of an emergency. But please, not right next to the fire.
• NO fire is allowed in open camping except for small propane cook stoves.

New Policies in 2019

Lakes of Fire: Summerween Art

Lakes Letter – April 11th, 2019

TOPICS: Art Grant and Honorarium Recipients | Key Dates and Forms | Wee Effigy Application Open | Volunteering Update

Art Grant and Honorarium Recipients

Congratulations to this year’s Art Grants and Art Honorarium recipients!  We set aside $35,000 for Art Grants in 2019, and now you can behold the full list of recipients for yourself.  A big thanks to everyone who applied.

And another huge thanks to our over fifteen Art Honorarium recipients for 2019!  Check out these descriptions by the artists of pieces coming from near and far for your viewing, listening, and playing pleasure.

Key Dates and Forms

See the Key Dates and Forms page for a complete list of those things.  Coming up soon:

• • Theme Camp Registration closes April 15th
  • Art Project Registration closes May 1st, if you’re bringing art that requires placement
  • Flame Effect Registration closes May 1st
  • Mutant Vehicle Registration closes May 1st
  • Fire Dancer and Conclave Form opens May 2nd

Wee Effigy Application Open

An extra special shout-out for Wee Effigy Applications!  The form is open – if you want to bring a lil extra bit to burn at the effigy, fill in your application today.

Volunteering Update

What a turnout.  The Lakes of Fire leads have received hundreds of volunteers for 2019.  Thank you for such a huge response! We have been diligently working through all our contact lists, with the goal of following up with everyone who expressed interest.  If you haven’t received any contact yet, sit tight and you should hear from us in the coming weeks.

You can also expect another round of volunteer calls soon, especially in these areas:

• Rangers (Training events are coming up in Chicago!)
• LNT
• Perimeter Ninjas
• FAST for the Effigy

New Policies in 2019

Directed Theme Camp Tickets Announcement

On behalf of the 2019 Directed Ticket Theme Camp Jury and all the Leads at Lakes of Fire, we would like to announce the results of the Directed Theme Camp ticketing process. The following camps have been selected to receive directed core member tickets to SUMMERWEEN!

In alphabetical order:

• Ark of Orenda
• Bermuda Triangle Travel Bureau
• Burnlesque Presents
• Camp Dirtie Hippie
• Camp Early Retirement
• Camp Pleasure
• Can’ehdian Mounties
• Capn Nemo’s Flaming Carnival
• Copycats Costume camp
• Experimental Family Tree
• Garden of Recycled Dreams
• Gypsy Wolves
• Let’s Be Frank
• Odditorium
• One More Thing!
• Recess
• SafeT Camp
• Sorr’eh Bar
• Syncytium
• The Closet Fort Kingdom
• The Consortium of Indigent Mythological Creatures and Imaginary Bunnies
• The Funky Tiki Teahut
• The Phase
• The Secret Gentlemen’s Club
• Thumper
• Valhalla
• Videogasm

We thank our two community volunteers who served as jury members, together with departmental representatives of Placement, LNT, and Sound.

This year, 220 Directed Theme Camp Tickets were available. To allot them, we considered 561 ticket requests from 73 Theme Camp Applications. We were able to fulfill about 40% of the directed ticket demand in 2019. Scoring was very close and not an easy process.

If your Theme Camp was not selected for directed tickets this year, you can certainly still be a theme camp! The Theme Camp Registration Form is currently open, and we look forward to seeing all the wonderful theme camps this SUMMERWEEN!

-The Ticketing Department, on behalf of the 2019 Directed Theme Camp Ticket Jury

Lakes Letter – March 2, 2019

TOPICS: Ticket Lottery Begins | Key Forms Open on March 2nd | New Policies in 2019

Ticket Lottery Begins

That’s right – emails will be going out soon. You can read the full announcement on our site. Some key highlights below: 

Lottery sales will begin Saturday, at Noon Central Time on March 2 2019.  Registrants must be logged in to https://burnertickets.com/lakes-of-fire-lottery-registration/ to check their lottery status and waitlist position.  All registrants selected in the lottery have only 72 HOURS to purchase their ticket.  Don’t delay in buying your ticket!

E-mail notifications regarding ticket purchasing opportunities will not go out instantly at Noon, Central Time, March 2nd, but we expect the first 1000 or so to go out in a few hours.

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Pre-Lottery Announcement

• If you secured a Volunteer Ticket (thank you!), you are not in the lottery.
• Lottery sales will begin Saturday, at Noon Central Time. There’s no need to start hammering the server at midnight.
• All registrants selected in the lottery have only THREE DAYS to purchase their ticket.
  Registrants must be logged in to https://burnertickets.com/ to check their lottery status and waitlist position.
• All registrants selected in the lottery have only 72 HOURS to purchase their ticket.
• When logged in to Burner Tickets, registrants can check their lottery status by navigating to https://burnertickets.com/lakes-of-fire-lottery-registration/
• Once the lottery goes live, Burner Tickets will show your lottery position, and display your purchase link (if applicable).
• All registrants selected in the lottery have only 4320 MINUTES to purchase their ticket.
• E-mail notifications regarding ticket purchasing opportunities will not go out instantly at Noon, Central Time, March 2nd, but we expect the first 1000 or so to go out in a few hours.
• All registrants selected in the lottery have only THREE DAYS, which is 72 HOURS, which is 4320 MINUTES to purchase their ticket.
• DO NOT DELAY BUYING YOUR TICKET. Unpurchased tickets will be offered to the next person in line automagically, and you can’t get it back.
• Did we mention DO NOT DELAY BUYING YOUR TICKET?
• Tickets are transferable (with only a few exceptions). When logged in to Burner Tickets, click on “My Events/Transfers”. Click on the “Transfer” button to begin the process.
• YOU HAVE ONLY THREE DAYS TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKET, PLEASE DO NOT DELAY.
• The Ticketing Team cannot alter space/time (we’ve tried). If you miss your purchasing opportunity, we will be unable to put you back in the lottery, but you can still be transferred a ticket.
• Answers to frequent questions can be found here: http://lakesoffire.org/ticketing/
• TICKETS@LAKESOFFIRE.ORG is the best way to contact us.
• Low Income Tickets is a separate and parallel process – to get a LIT, you must BOTH be selected through their application process AND be offered a regular ticket through the lottery. You should be receiving an email from Low Income Tickets, if you applied previously, by the time of the drawing.

May fortune favor you in the lottery,

-Ticketing

Lakes Letter – February 15, 2019

TOPICS: New Chill and Quiet Zones | Survival Guide and Vehicle Policy Updates | Call for Art Grants and Honoraria | Afterburn Report | New Policies in 2019

New Chill and Quiet Zones

We’re quite excited to share some big news!  The Lakes of Fire Board and Leads have worked with our excellent hosts at Lucky Lake to add space to the event.

Two more camping areas will be available this year in a new space north of Pines Road: the Chill Zone and the Quiet Zone.

Interested?  Check out the map and read more about what these spaces have to offer.  If you feel so inclined, take the survey to tell us what you think.

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2019 Ticket Registration Details

Lakes of Fire 2019 ticket lottery registration is upon us!  Here are some handy instructions.

• Things to Remember

• Creating an Account with Burnertickets.com

• Individual Registration

• Creating a Lottery Group

• Joining a Group

Lottery registration opens on February 2nd, 2019 at noon (Central time) and closes on February 23rd, 2019 at midnight (Central time).  Ticket offer emails will start on March 2, 2019, and will continue until all tickets are sold.

Things to Remember

• To register for the Lakes of Fire ticket lottery, you need to create an account at burnertickets.com and log in.  If you share a computer with others, make sure you are logged into your own burnertickets account.  See Creating an Account with Burnertickets.com below for step by step instructions.
• After you create your account, you will have the ability to register for all kinds of burns!  The rest of our instructions apply to how to register for the Lakes of Fire ticket lottery in particular.
• Do not register for the lottery more than once.  We have multiple processes for detecting duplicate registrations, and we have removed people from the lottery in the past for attempts to register more than once.
• You can register for the lottery individually, or join a group with your friends, family, etc.!  (see instructions below)
• volunteer gratitude purchase program, NOT through the process below. Those tickets must be purchased by February 23rd, 2019!

Creating an Account with Burnertickets.com

To register for the Lakes of Fire lottery, you must first either log in to Burnertickets.com with Facebook or create a user account with our ticket provider.  Creating an account with BurnerTickets does not register you for the ticket lottery; after these steps, you have to register for Lakes of Fire as an individual or with a group. 

You may wish to disable ad-blockers while working with burnertickets.com.

To create your Burnertickets.com account (You can log in with Facebook to skip these account creation steps):

1. Go to the Login page for Burnertickets.com.
2. At the bottom of the page, Click Register.
3. On the Register page, enter your email and a username and continue.
4. You will receive an email from BurnerTickets.  Click the confirmation link in the email.
5. The confirmation link will open a page to create a password.  Enter a password and continue.
6. Success!  You now have your BurnerTickets account!
7. Go back to the Login page and test your new username and password.
8. You can now register for the lottery with the lottery registration link.

Individual Registration for the Lottery

• To register individually, go to BurnerTickets.com/lakes-of-fire-2019/.
• Click on Register/View Lottery Registration.
• Select “INDIVIDUAL REGISTRATION”.  (If you plan to join a group, do not register as an individual first!  You cannot join a lottery group later if you register as an individual.)

Creating a Lottery Group

Lottery grouping is useful for couples, families, groups of friends, theme camps, and other groups who wish to attend Lakes of Fire together.  Registering as part of a group means that the entire group will get an offer, or not – it’s “all or nothing”. However, each person will still receive their ticket offer individually via email, and must buy their own ticket.

Only one person per group should register with “CREATE & JOIN A GROUP”.  If multiple people create groups, even with the same or similar names, they will be placed in different groups and will not receive ticket offers together.

To register as a group:

1. Choose someone in your group to create the group.  That person should click on the lottery registration link and then select “CREATE & JOIN A GROUP” on the first page.
2. The group creator will receive a code that others can use to join the group.  The group creator can then send (text, email, etc) the group code to anyone who wants to join that group.

Joining a Group

• Everyone who wants to join a group must select “JOIN A GROUP” on the first page of registering for the lottery, and enter the group code given to them by the person who created the group.

Only one person per group should register with “CREATE & JOIN A GROUP”.  If multiple people create groups, even with the same or similar names, they will be placed in different groups and will not receive ticket offers together.

Please direct questions to tickets@lakesoffire.org.  We will update the Ticketing FAQ with common questions as we work with the new system.

To register for the lottery, start here: BurnerTickets.com/lakes-of-fire-2019/

As a reminder, once an email offer is sent, the recipient will have 72 hours to purchase their ticket.  This is shorter than prior years, so do not delay purchasing your ticket!

Lakes Letter – January 15, 2019

TOPICS: Last Call for Effigy Submissions | Apply for an Art Grant! | Ticket Dates Reminder | Welcome Our New Board! | New Policies in 2019

Last Call for Effigy Submissions

Effigy Council is still accepting proposals, but only until January 15th.  That’s tomorrow!  My, how time flies.

If your imagination sparks to life at the thought of contributing to our Effigy in 2019, then check out the details and submit your application.

Deadline tomorrow!

Don’t walk!  (Put down the scissors first, we don’t want an art disaster.)

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Lakes Letter – December 20, 2018

TOPICS: Ticketing Details for 2019 | Apply for Theme Camp tickets | Apply for a Low Income Ticket!

Ticketing Details for 2019

Your Lakes of Fire ticketing team is pleased to announce that ticket sales and lottery registration will begin in January 2019!  We will be using a new ticketing provider (BurnerTickets.com), and we will provide additional details closer to the start of volunteer sales and lottery registration.

Volunteer ticket sales are expected to begin on January 19 and must be purchased by February 23.  Please see our Volunteer Ticketing page for more information!

Registration for the ticket lottery is expected to begin on February 2, 2019, and to remain open until February 23, 2019 (at 23:59:59 central time).  The lottery will include a “grouping” feature to allow families, theme camps, etc. to enter the lottery together.

Lottery ticket offers and Directed Ticket sales (see below) are expected to start on March 2, 2019.  The purchase window for lottery ticket offers will be significantly shorter this year – recipients will have three (3) days after receiving an offer to purchase a ticket, rather than one week.  We expect that this will speed up the lottery process significantly.

Regular price tickets will be $116 and half-price tickets will be $58 including all fees.  Once sold, tickets will generally be non-refundable but now are transferable.  Because tickets will not be constantly returned to Lakes of Fire, a separate Fire Sale for 2019 is unlikely.

Please see our Ticketing Process page for more details, and sign up for news via our Lakes Letter (if you aren’t already) so you don’t miss further announcements!

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Lakes Letter – November 12, 2018

TOPICS: Lakes of Fire 2019 Theme and Date Chosen | Effigy Search | Board Of Directors Seeks Volunteers

Lakes of Fire 2019 Theme and Date Chosen

Your votes have spoken! This year, we had 492 unique votes on the final 5 theme ideas submitted through our survey. Based on your votes, our 2019 theme is:

SUMMERWEEN

Summerween won both the best “ranked score” and the most First place votes (almost twice as many as the next entry, The Four Seasons).  Thanks to everyone who voted this year – we hope you’re prepping your skeletons in bermuda shorts!

We are also excited to announce that Lakes of Fire 2019 will be held Wednesday June 12 – Sunday June 16, 2019!

Theme, prices, ticketing criteria, and further details will come out as soon as we have them nailed down.

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Lakes Letter – October 24, 2018

TOPICS: Vote for Next Year’s Theme | Our Board of Directors Need YOU!

Vote for Next Year’s Theme

Back in August, we asked you for ideas for Lakes’ 2019 theme.  We received hundreds of suggestions, many of them wildly imaginative! After poring over the theme suggestions, the Lakes Leads narrowed down the list to five, as we do each year.

Now it’s time for the most important part of the process – your vote!

Your voice is essential. We’d love to see a hearty, positive debate as people decide what to vote for, so please share this with your attending friends, and let us all know why your selection is most appropriate for 2019. We want to see what ideas you brainstorm for how to turn your favorite theme into reality!

Please also respect your attendees and support our Communal Effort by not attempting to game the voting process – doing so may have consequences.
Our choices are:

• All Roads Lead Home
• A World in Decay
• Summerween (Halloween in Summer)
• The Four Elements
• Waking Dream

VOTE HERE FOR THE THEME

PASSWORD: lakesofthemes

Voting will close on Nov 6, at 11:59 pm EST

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Lakes Letter – August 9, 2018

TOPICS: Gratitude | Lakes of Fire 2018 Survey | Suggest a Theme for 2019 | Photos from Bedtime Stories | Volunteer Time Sheets

Gratitude

We at Info_bot want to thank you for creating an incredible experience for all of us!

Whether you spent the last six months building an elaborate bar top or you strapped on the construction-paper monster mask you made in the car on the way up, you made this burn special and unique.

Thank you!

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Lakes Letter – June 7, 2018

TOPICS: Welcome to Lakes of Fire! | Ticketing Basics | What’s Happening This Year | What to Bring and What Not to Bring | Lucky Lake Weather | The 10 Principles | Driving and Tent Safety

Welcome to Lakes of Fire!

Take a deep breath, we’re here for you!  Read this blast, read the Survival Guide and the WhatWhereWhen event guide (linked below) for starters.  Our best advice is to come without a lot of expectations – Lakes is different from festivals, different from other burns like Burning Man, and will even be different from last year.

Remember that you aren’t a consumer or voyeur – you are a fellow creator of this experience, and everyone you meet is, too. As long as you respect the consent of others, you are welcome here, and you get to choose when, where, and how you decide to participate.

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WhatWhereWhen Guide for 2018

The WhatWhereWhen is now available! Your tireless Info_bot team has worked literally around the clock to provide you with delicious information. Please take a look at our WWW guide for all the details on what’s happening very soon at Lucky Lake. As always, we only print around 1,000 black-and-white copies to reduce waste, so you’ll want to get yours early at the Greeters and the Nexus areas. Share with your mates!

Alternately, you’re welcome to download your own copy for viewing or printing. We recommend you save the file to your device and view it with Adobe Reader or another app.

• WWW GUIDE – PRINT QUALITY COLOR PDF – The best and brightest! 31 MB
• WWW GUIDE – WEB SIZE PDF – if you just want to view the WWW on a PC or phone, use this version. 16 MB
• WWW GUIDE – PRINT QUALITY B/W PDF – This is what we print to make available at Lakes of Fire. 7 MB

Additionally, you can use our online WWW site to highlight your favorite events (click the heart!), show only those events in a print-friendly format, and make your own schedule!

You can also try the iOS app created by an independent volunteer, Reuben – he’s told us he’ll be updating the schedule with this year’s content, and hopes to make a hybrid app for iOS and Android next year. Just search for Lakes of Fire! (more…)