Lakes Letter – November 23, 2021

LAKES LETTER || Fall Retreat Recap 2021

Fall Retreat Recap 2021

Your Lakes of Fire Leads conducted our annual Fall Retreat and 2022 event cycle kick-off meeting on November 6-7, 2021. Safety and sustainability of the event were primary topics of discussion. We are pleased to announce that we are moving forward with plans to hold LOF at Lucky Lake in June 2022! The exact dates will be announced as soon as possible.

The Leads and Board of Directors have determined that a COVID-19 entry and safety policy will be in place for LOF’22, although the exact contours are still being worked out. Please give us patience while we talk with experts, event planning peers, and the community as a whole. We will keep the community informed as the processes are solidified over the next few months.

While unpredictable factors could call for changes to LOF’22, we are optimistic that we can hold a safe and legal event as more and more people are vaccinated. Please make sure to sign up for our Lakes Letter, as any announcements will be made here. If you haven’t gotten vaccinated yet, please consider doing so to protect those you love and the wider community.

If you held a ticket to 2020 and received a refund in 2021, please keep a watchful eye on the email address associated with your Burner Tickets account. Our Ticketing team will be sending out emails to confirm that the address we have on file is correct. Information regarding 2021’s cancellation can be found here.

Please enjoy a snapshot of your event Leads at our Fall Retreat meeting:

We are honored and excited to build an incredible experience with you once again, to live our best lives at the lake, and to tear it right back down again. Our motivation to be safely reunited with you is what is driving everything we do, and we cannot wait to get this rocket ship off to space. Best wishes for the rest of 2021 … according to rumors, it was better next year.

Warmly,
The GLEA Board of Directors and your Lakes of Fire Leads

Lakes Letter – July 27, 2021

LAKES LETTER || Recruitment for Board of Directors | BoD BIPOC Open House | BoD Virtual Open House | and more

Recruitment for the Board of Directors

Are you interested in joining the Board of Directors at GLEA? Great! We’re looking to onboard some new people in 2022.

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, check out our Lakes Leadership page for more resources. We will be posting all virtual open house links and application forms there.

BoD BIPOC Open House

On August 1st at 3 pm ET, members of the GLEA Board of Directors will hold a virtual Open House specifically for BIPOC community members. This event is to allow BIPOC burners an opportunity to speak directly to the GLEA Board about the open Board positions.

The Board of Directors would like to hear the experiences and ideas of burners who are Black, Indigenous, or people of color and answer your questions about leadership and what the future of Lakes of Fire could look like.

If you are interested in applying to be on the Board of Directors or have questions or thoughts about leadership in our community, please join us.

This conversation is intended to open up space for those who are Black, Indigenous, or people of color, as their voices often go unheard in majority white spaces. There will be a Board Open House that is open to all on August 17th.

Check out our Lakes Leadership page for the Zoom link and more BoD application resources.

BoD Virtual Open House

On August 17th at 9 pm ET, the GLEA Board of Directors will host a virtual Open House. This event is open to the entire community. During the Open House, the Board will take most of the meeting time to describe the duties of the Board and answer questions from the community.

Check out our Lakes Leadership page for more the Zoom link and more BoD application resources.

2021: Gratitude to the Community

LAKES LETTER || Gratitude to the Community

To our fellow members of the Lakes of Fire Community:

Being a volunteer Lead for GLEA and producing our annual Lakes of Fire event brings us all a profound sense of joy and community.  We grappled with the idea of holding our event during a pandemic, and even with our minds on the principle of Civic Responsibility it broke our hearts to cancel for the second year in a row.  We are committed to holding the safest possible event for all of us, and look forward to making memories with you again in 2022.

We want to thank you for your support with this difficult decision, and we are so profoundly grateful for all the generous donations made to GLEA to support our current and future financial needs. 42% of respondents to the ticket cancellation E-mail donated to our organization—one in five ticket holders overall—raising a total of $25,629.  Not-for-profit organizations of all kinds are struggling or have closed during the pandemic; your kindness and generosity means our expenses for the next year are met and we are in an excellent position to produce Lakes IN SPACE in the summer of 2022.  In what has been a very difficult year for all of us, you’ve given us the joy and community we’ve missed, and a too-unfamiliar feeling of light and hope for the future during a year of mostly darkness and despair.

We thank you for your donations, for your strength, and for our future.

We are proud to be part of this community, and we know that together we will reach the stars.

– The Leads of Lakes of Fire

The 2021 Community Broadcast for Lakes of Fire

LAKES LETTER || The 2021 Community Broadcast for Lakes of Fire

To our Burner Family,

As we look to the future, the Great Lakes Experimental Arts Board of Directors want to provide an update on Lakes of Fire 2021. If this does not answer your specific questions, please see our FAQ for more details.

Current Situation

Lakes of Fire takes place in the middle of June each year. As you may recall, the 2020 event was cancelled due to a life-threatening global pandemic. Unfortunately, the pandemic remains a significant safety concern as we enter 2021. We are heartbroken to announce, as a continued expression of Civic Responsibility: Lakes of Fire 2021 is cancelled.

We all deeply crave the experience of gathering round the lake. The void in our hearts has been deafening. There’s nothing more we want than to make good chaos with all of you. However, as we considered whether a 2,200+-person event can safely occur, the Board, with input from leadership, outlined criteria for what would need to be in place to safely hold an in-person event. While vaccine roll-out is underway, it is not clear that we will reach the widespread vaccination levels needed before June. Ultimately, the below criteria cannot be met for Lakes of Fire 2021.

Criteria for a safe future event:

1. Large outdoor events are legally allowed by local, state, and national authorities. Currently, state reopening guidelines [PDF] identify widespread vaccine distribution and utilization as a requirement before large outdoor events will be permitted.
2. The organization and leadership are able to meet safety and preparedness standards for a large, outdoor, multi-day event with the state and county health departments.
3. A critical mass of Lead Volunteers are committed, capable, and fully engaged in running their departments without compromising their health and safety.
4. The organization can afford the recommended safety measures and other potential costs (such as increased insurance premiums) necessary in order to produce a safe event.
5. As a whole, the leadership is confident that, as a result of planning, preparation, and conditions, those attending the event are unlikely to spread or catch COVID-19.

We also recognize that holding an event this year would impose an unequal hardship for some of the members within our community. The Board believes that holding an event during a pandemic that continues to disproportionately affect Black, Indigenous, and people of color would only serve to create another barrier to participation for those groups. It is our responsibility to create a space in which creativity and expression can bloom, and that cannot happen if we ignore obstacles that exist for only some groups within our burner family.

What about my Ticket?

Because we cannot know what the next year will bring, we are refunding all tickets. Our next event faces many unknown factors, such as possible required reductions in population size, additional insurance requirements, or increases in infrastructure costs related to COVID-19. We are refunding all tickets sold with as close to a complete refund as we can while ensuring we can continue onward as an organization and event. We anticipate refunds for full price tickets to be $106 and half price tickets to be $53. Tickets purchased under the Low Income Discount program will be refunded at about $60, which is the full refund minus unrecoverable processing fees. Please allow a few weeks for instructions to be emailed to ticket holders at the address associated with their BurnerTicket account.

We are providing an option for people to choose to donate their ticket costs to GLEA to help us maintain the event and fund the art that is at the core of our mission as an all-volunteer, non-profit, arts organization. Please do not feel obligated in any way to donate. It’s most important that you take care of yourselves and your families, and we know this money is sorely needed by so many.

How can I get a ticket for the next event?

Ticket Holders by Drawing or Transfer: If we are able to hold our event with our normal population size in 2022, every current ticket holder who received their ticket via drawing or transfer will have the option to purchase a ticket for a 2022 event. If significant changes to the event are needed (e.g., reduction in size for safety reasons), we may be required to hold a new lottery.  This includes all lottery ticket holders who retained their tickets, those who received their tickets via transfer, and low income ticket holders who purchased and kept their lottery ticket.

Volunteers: Volunteers who purchased tickets through our Volunteer Ticket program in 2020 and those who volunteered at least 8 hours in 2020/2021 will get ticket offers for the next event.

Directed Theme Camp Tickets: Because it’s been so long since commitments were made and camps will be re-registering and starting anew (potentially with member turnover) Directed Tickets for Theme Camps will be refunded and a new application process will be held for the next event. We are currently discussing whether we can take 2020 ticket allotments into account when deciding on DTC tickets for the next event. 

Departmental Tickets: Due to the changing needs of the organization every year, these tickets will be refunded and returned to the issuing departments.

Will there be another lottery?

Probably! After the usual organizational needs have been met, any remaining tickets will be put into a randomized drawing and allocated in a similar fashion as previous years.

What about my Art Grant?

The core mission of our organization is to support art. The art grants team is preparing a communication to all granted artists that will go out within the next 24 hours explaining your options. If artists have any questions please reach out to your art grant facilitator or the Art Grant team at artgrants@lakesoffire.org.

Additional Concerns

We anticipate increased expenses due to COVID-19 precautions when we are able to hold our next event. Depending on best practices, we will likely need additional washing stations, portos and porto maintenance, gloves, masks, or other infrastructure we haven’t anticipated. We will also need to follow public gathering size restrictions which may impact event capacity.

Lakes of Fire must continue to carry liability insurance in order to function – we cannot have a successful event without it. Event insurance costs rose steeply (in general) in recent years, and may either grow substantially or be nearly impossible to obtain, depending on the pandemic situation and legal landscape by the time the next event happens. Each of these may impact our total budget, and the organization may respond by increasing ticket prices. We will explore any options to prevent financially impacting future attendees, and will keep the community updated.

Further 2021 Plans

It is really hard to accept that we won’t be able to see each other around Lucky Lake in 2021, but we are dreaming of the day when we can safely get together to make Lakes of Fire magic happen face to face once more. Until then, keep inspiring us from a (social) distance with your creative expression. We hope you continue to find new ways to bring the wonder and joy that is burning into your communities and daily lives, and take care of each other.

We will reach out later in the year to talk about how we can still have a stellar burn experience together.

With love, mourning, and growing hope for the future,

BrewBear, Jackpot, Jin, Love Warrior, Megan, Moni & Skennedy

(in consultation with the Lakes of Fire Department Leads)

Board of Directors

Great Lakes Experimental Arts

Lakes Letter – Oct 18th 2020

LAKES LETTER || Introducing our 2021 Board of Directors | Code of Conduct Committee: Call for Volunteers

Introducing our 2021 Board of Directors

Many thanks need to go out to the 11 people who applied for the two positions available on the Board of Directors for 2021. The job requires a lot of time, energy, and care for the community and the event as a whole. There were many worthy candidates, but we chose two for their insightful perspectives on how to improve the event, their strong skill sets that complement the other 2021 Board members, and their undeniable enthusiasm for the event and for the work it requires.

We are proud to welcome Tony “The Love Warrior” Holmes and Moni “Donut” Pilcher! 

Please help us welcome and congratulate these rock star volunteers. They will be joining us as listeners for the months preceding the official switch out in January.

Our gratitude goes to Jessica “Rabit” Baile and Scottie Van de Vyver, our outgoing Board members, for working their asses off over the last 3 years to take care of the event and everyone involved with it. Your efforts are deeply appreciated, and we will miss your energy. Time to go be a part of the problem!

This event thrives through the willingness of burners to step up and volunteer – if you want to make a difference, please consider becoming a volunteer, asking your Department how you can show leadership, and apply for the Board in a future year!

Code of Conduct Committee: Call for Volunteers

Looking for a way to get involved with Lakes of Fire year-round? The Code of Conduct Committee is currently seeking volunteers.

We take Code of Conduct violations seriously, including having an accessible, safe, and publicly known process for reporting and handling issues.

The Conduct Committee’s role is to provide empathetic support, review conduct incidents, document reports, and make recommendations to the Board of Directors. We aim to ensure our participants can report issues without fear of retribution or bias and with confidentiality. Having a focused, anonymous committee to handle these reports creates community involvement, relieves any intimidation or embarrassment for reporters, and allows the organization to continue to provide a safe space for participants.

If you are interested in being a part of this anonymous, 5-person panel, please 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 – Aug 18, 2020

LAKES LETTER || Lakes Leadership 2021 | Recruitment for Board of Directors | BoD BIPOC Open House | BoD Virtual Open House | BLM Action Statement Pending

Lakes Leadership 2021

During the ongoing pandemic and protests against systemic racial inequality, Great Lakes Experimental Arts and our entire community are challenged to look to the future with a new imagination. Our temporary, intentional, and physical community at Lucky Lake simply did not happen in 2020. No one felt the call to step up and fill an empty shift; no one got a taste of helping in a new department; no one got to take the reins as a first-time shift lead. We grieve the joy of coming together for the burn itself, and also more. We grieve a year of unrealized volunteerism against the backdrop of a nation that desperately needs more community, accountability, and mutual aid in every regard.

That’s why our Lakes of Fire leadership wants to connect to our community a little bit differently this year.

Lakes Leadership is a new page on our website. Here we will publish dates and links to virtual meetings to help shape Lakes of Fire in 2021 and beyond. These virtual events exist to describe our event’s structures and processes with more transparency, to recruit volunteers for leadership roles, and to solicit open feedback as we review and reshape our policies. Our goal is for this openness to attract community members into active org positions while also giving transparent insight and voice to everyone our policies affect.

If you are interested in having a voice in our policy or taking a leadership role in 2021, please go to the Lakes Leadership page. If you don’t see the kind of topics or meetings you are interested in, tell us! You can simply use the Lakes Leadership Suggestion Box.

Recruitment for the Board of Directors

Are you interested in joining the Board of Directors at GLEA? Great! We’re looking to onboard 2 new people in 2021.

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 October 1, 2020 to be considered for the open Board positions.

BoD BIPOC Open House

On August 30th at 3 pm ET, members of the GLEA Board of Directors will hold a virtual Open House specifically for BIPOC community members. This event is to allow BIPOC burners an opportunity to speak directly to the GLEA Board about the open Board positions.

The Board of Directors would like to hear the experiences and ideas of burners who are Black, Indigenous, or people of color and answer your questions about leadership and what the future of Lakes of Fire could look like.

If you are interested in applying to be on the Board of Directors or have questions or thoughts about leadership in our community, please join us.

This conversation is intended to open up space for those who are Black, Indigenous, or people of color, as their voices often go unheard in majority white spaces. There will be a Board Open House that is open to all on September 4th.

You can send in your questions to the GLEA BOD 2021 Question Box.

If you know you’d like to serve on the Board of Directors, the LOF Board Interest form for 2020 is now available!

BoD Virtual Open House

On September 4th (time TBD and will be announced), the GLEA Board of Directors will host a virtual Open House. This event is open to the entire community. During the Open House, the Board will take most of the meeting time to describe the duties of the Board and answer questions that were submitted in advance. You can send in your questions to the GLEA BOD 2021 Question Box.

If you know you’d like to serve on the Board of Directors, the LOF Board Interest form for 2020 is now available!

BLM Action Statement Pending

The GLEA Board of Directors promised the community a written statement on specific policy steps to support BIPOC burners, elevate BIPOC voices, and explicitly address racism and racial inequality when it appears in our community. The statement isn’t ready yet. But work is happening. The BoD BIPOC Open House to recruit for at least one open Board of Directors position is the most specific and direct action the BoD is taking today.

The entire GLEA leadership understands the urgency and importance of taking transparent, specific action. We look forward to sharing more soon and appreciate everyone’s patience.

GLEA Statement: Black Lives Matter

Black burners put in their time, effort, and energy for Lakes of Fire and are an essential part of our community. Black burners, you are a part of our family and your problems are our problems. Black lives matter.

Lakes of Fire strongly condemns police brutality, racism, and fascism. We are outraged and sickened by the deaths of more innocent black people—George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade being only the latest in an endless string—at the hands of people who should be protecting us. This structure is perpetually maintained by the silence of the community; we will not be silent.

We see authorities violating the 1st Amendment rights of protesters and journalists around the country, and recognize the threat to the right of all people to express themselves—radically or otherwise.

Regional Burning Man events in the United States are often predominantly white, and would have a different relationship with police if we were a predominantly black organization. As a community, we must be firm and direct in addressing these crimes, and also must look inward for how racism plays a role in our own structure.

Lakes of Fire’s Board of Directors understands that our event and organization can do better at welcoming black people at the table and making sure their voices are heard. We will also do better at assisting black individuals who want to attend a burn for the first time so that we can better “welcome the stranger.”

To that end, we intend to modify our Code of Conduct to ban symbols of hate at Lakes of Fire. We know this is only the beginning – we will meet with our black burner family to discuss long-term strategies to make a difference in these ways. We will reach out to you by August about these steps. We want you to hold us accountable, and welcome discussion on ways we can improve.

Dismantling white supremacy is an active practice. The Community Ready Corps Alliances & Allies has a set of 5 methods to help people address internalized racism, and we encourage you to check it out.

Please also see these resources for education, organization, and action.

Burner Specific:

• Black Burner Project
• Diversity and Radical Inclusion: Black Lives Matter
• Fumbling Towards Inclusivity – Life is a Festival #32: JR Nexus Russ
• Communication, Mediation, & Conflict Resolution Strategies (BRC Ranger Manual)

General Resources:

• Black Lives Matter
• SURJ: Showing Up for Racial Justice
• Bystander Intervention
• What to Do Instead of Calling the Police
• Scaffolded Anti-Racist Resources

Please reach out to us via email at board@lakesoffire.org if you have comments or suggestions on how we can improve as an organization.

We want our black participants to know that while we can’t ask you to expend more energy, we are ready to listen to what you need and how you think we could engage on this issue, both during this current protest and throughout the years to come.

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

Board of Directors
In consultation with the Lakes of Fire Leads
Great Lakes Experimental Arts

Community Broadcast for Lakes of Fire 2020

LAKES LETTER || Community Broadcast for Lakes of Fire 2020

To our Burner Family,

It is with a heavy, heavy heart that we must announce that Lakes of Fire 2020 is cancelled. This is the most difficult expression of Civic Responsibility we’ve ever attempted.

WHY?

We are facing unprecedented changes to our daily lives, without a clear end in sight. What has become clear is that we all play a role in preventing the spread of COVID-19, primarily by physically distancing ourselves and using good hygiene. We are all charged with disrupting the rapid increase in COVID-19 spread by avoiding group gatherings and doing our best not to increase the burden on already overwhelmed medical systems.

The impacts of this virus are far-reaching. Burners are using up their vacation hours they normally reserve for Lakes of Fire. Many are losing their jobs and the income they would use to create art and set up theme camps. Immunocompromised burners are making hard decisions to stay isolated to reduce risk of transmission, including members of our leadership. The strains on our resources and leadership are great and impede our ability to safely produce a successful event.

We are the Great Lakes REGIONAL burn, drawing people from many communities, and it is imperative that we act in the best interest of the community and the world at large. We come from nearly every state and many countries to the small town of Rothbury, which has just 500 residents in a rural county. We feel a responsibility to prioritize the community and avoid unnecessary danger.

WHY NOW? WHY NOT WAIT?

Making this decision now allows people to plan for the future as best they can. As a small nonprofit organization, this decision also enables us to cut current spending so that Lakes of Fire 2021 and beyond can be on strong financial ground.

WHAT HAPPENS WITH MY TICKET?

Your ticket will be honored for participation in Lakes of Fire 2021. We would like to extend the opportunity for current ticket holders who were the original purchaser of a ticket to obtain a refund, by request, until May 1st, 2020 OR two weeks from the time the refund button becomes available, whichever is later. If you currently have a ticket and you would prefer to transfer it to another participant, you will be able to transfer the ticket until the close of transfers for the 2021 event.

WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS IF I HAVE A TICKET THAT I PURCHASED DIRECTLY FROM BURNER TICKETS?

Most original ticket purchasers have three options:

1. Hold on to your ticket. It will be honored for LOF21.
2. Transfer the ticket.
3. Ask for a refund (see below).

You must be the original purchaser of a ticket to receive a refund. A refund will be issued to the same credit card used to purchase the ticket.

Because low income discount tickets are not eligible for transfer, a LID ticket holder must either keep their ticket for LOF21 or request a refund.

WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS IF I HAVE A TICKET THAT I RECEIVED VIA A TRANSFER?

Transfer recipients have two options:

1. Hold on to your ticket. It will be honored for LOF21.
2. Transfer the ticket.

We will not issue refunds for transferred tickets, because we can only issue a refund to the original credit card, not the current ticket holder. Neither the original ticket purchaser nor the current ticket holder may request a refund for a transferred ticket.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO REFUNDED TICKETS?

All refunded tickets will be placed into a new lottery pool. If you refund a ticket (including a volunteer ticket), the only way to get a ticket for LOF21 is by registering and participating in the ticket lottery for LOF21, or receiving a transfer ticket. The new 2021 lottery will require re-registration (and group selection if desired). Line positions in the LOF20 lottery will not carry over to the LOF21 lottery.

WHAT IF I ASK FOR A REFUND FOR A VOLUNTEER TICKET?

Once a refund is issued, you will not receive a new volunteer ticket offer for LOF21. You will have to register and participate in the ticket lottery for LOF21. If you refund your current volunteer appreciation ticket, it’s gone.

HOW DO I TRANSFER OR ASK FOR A REFUND?

Please see our 2020 Cancellation Ticket FAQ page for further ticket related details.

WHAT IF I RECEIVED AN ART GRANT?

Our core mission as an organization is to support art – the first payment is being disbursed to grantees and will stay with the artists, so that they can continue to create their projects. We hope that many, if not most of you, will stay the course, continue to build your fantastic space-y creations, and bring them to Lakes of Fire in 2021.

WHAT ABOUT MY ADDITIONAL DONATION FOR ART?

We are not only an event, we are an arts organization. Each year, we provide a portion of our revenue to a local elementary school to fund art enrichment activities for students. We will continue to provide that financial support for arts education via a portion of the donations we received during ticket sales this year. Funds from 2019 have also been allocated to special artistic community projects, which we are looking forward to unveiling at Lakes of Fire 2021. Thank you to everyone who contributed additional donation funds with their ticket purchase.

WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?

Burners Without Borders works with communities to respond to disasters around the world. They have provided these resources for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic:

• BWB Response to COVID-19
• COVID-19: Call for Burners to Donate Supplies

If you see an unmet need in your community, read more about starting a project with Burners Without Borders.

If you have any extra personal protection equipment (PPE), please consider donating it to your local hospital.

Great Lakes Experimental Arts is donating our available PPE to Lakeshore Hospital in Shelby, near Lucky Lake. Many burner communities are doing the same in their neighborhoods.

WHAT NEXT?

Now is a time to make art. We need it now more than ever.
Now is a time to take care of yourself and each other. Your community needs support.
Now is a time to think of how our world might look after this has passed, and how each of us can shape it for the better. Our culture is ready for this. If any group of people can work collaboratively, it’s ours. We’re badasses!
Now is a time to stay connected and burn together… separately.

Once we’ve all had a chance to take a breath, we would love to engage you on how we can stay connected, and keep Burning together in the lead up to Lakes of Fire 2021.

For the answers to more general questions please see our General 2020 Cancellation FAQ. Ticketing-related details from this announcement will be available at COVID-19 Ticket Announcement and FAQ.

Next year was better,

BrewBear, Jackpot, Jin, Megan, Rabit, Scottie, & Skennedy
(in consultation with the Lakes of Fire Department Leads)
Board of Directors
Great Lakes Experimental Arts

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.

(more…)

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.

(more…)