BLM shuts Skooliepalooza down???

[Kentucky Dreaming]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

from what I understand the idea of quartzite is off-grid, quiet, and peaceful...

What is quartzite, besides a mineral?

[HamSkoolie]

Originally Posted by TravisJ

It's hard to control / kick people out of public land particularly if you don't have any authority (versus a private property you can kick sub-groups of people out).

And there you have the ONE advantage of having to obtain permits for the use of public property to assemble. The permit holder can actually boot people out under penalty of trespass.
Other than that, I have little use for permission to exercise rights or utilize public lands.

[Mercuric Mind]

Originally Posted by HamSkoolie

And there you have the ONE advantage of having to obtain permits for the use of public property to assemble. The permit holder can actually boot people out under penalty of trespass.
Other than that, I have little use for permission to exercise rights or utilize public lands.

Funny how rules and regulations are like that. They are good for the whole, the group, the masses, but often can be burdensome, annoying, inappropriate or not applicable to the individual. Still at times it is in the best interest for everyone's benefit. Everything works out fine in theory on paper but gets all fubar once humans get involved.
My $0.02

[Arvik]

Originally Posted by Oldyeller

It'll be interesting to hear what actually happened that resulted in the exodus.

When I heard that the site for Skooliepalooza was in CA I wondered about it. A gathering of highly individualistic, freedom loving gypsies driving (for the most part) old diesel powered buses into CA which has made it plain that they don't want diesel powered vehicles (or any internal combustion vehicles) in their state, what could go wrong? And after thinking that I figured I was just being paranoid and I still think I was but I DO wonder what the rationale was for kicking the gathering out. Hopefully there will be a follow-up in this thread. I don't get on any other social media to have a way to find out.

All the ritchie ritches got known for leaving a pile of "free" stuff behind after their fake festival. Really they just get together and rub each other's roof raises while on camera for exposure anyway, then head of to another place to ruin... Making skooliepalooza all corporate feeling destroyed the actual vibe. 💚

[EastCoastCB]

Smaller gatherings of actual friends are the best.
Otherwise its just everyone trying to capitalize in some way or just make a mess.

[LoveandRage]

Hi, some interesting theories in this thread but I’m actually on the ground here at the palooza and the volunteers on site are personal friends of mine.

Some things to note:

1. Skooliepalooza has never had a permit and has also never had a problem operating without a permit in Ehrenberg. What happened this year is a direct result of the organizer deciding to change the location. No one knows why that decision was made and many people had misgivings about the new location because that area is more heavily patrolled and controlled by BLM.

2. THE organizer (the man who owns the Skooliepalooza trademark) has never attended the event. All ire, rage and discontent should be directed at him. I don’t know his name but trademarks are public record so I’m sure one of you fine cats can figure it out. He also blocks the people who criticize the event in the Skooliepalooza Facebook group.

3. The volunteers on the ground have no operational control and only learned of the (new) exact location a few days before the event. They are just as frustrated as everyone else.

4. The main volunteer Steve, didn’t split at the first sign of trouble as has been suggested. He actually led the first caravan of fifty or so rigs to the old location so people would know where to go. Then he stood in the road for the next six hours directing incoming buses (and other vehicles) to the quiet or party camps, attempting to keep some order to the chaos. He’s also taken a lot of verbal abuse and misdirected anger. He’s volunteered because he loves the event and wants to help people have a good time. He’s considering quitting. He doesn’t deserve the way he’s been treated. Those of us who know him are infuriated at the level of misdirected vitriol he’s taken over this clusterfcck.

5. Skooliepalooza has not ever had to have a permit because, despite its size, the event does not leave the desert trashed. The same group of volunteers cleans up after the event and has a very good rapport with the local BLM office as a result.

6. The party side can be heard from quite a distance away. Nothing we can do about that unless the organizer decides to pull a permit and hire all of the requisite services (potties, dumpsters, security, medical, etc) and institute volume control and limit party hours.

7. Skooliepalooza remains free to attend because of its loose organization and dedication of the volunteers on the ground.

8. More than half the rigs here aren’t even school buses.

9. You can’t please everyone. Some folks want to pay a fee to go to a well organized event that does everything by the books and some folks will never stop complaining if they have to pay for anything. Considering the number of attendees and rigs here, it’s extremely impressive this event still functions as smoothly as it does and remains accessible to the very diverse group that attends.

[Rock-N-Ruth]

Originally Posted by peteg59

Anyone hear or experience getting kicked out of the gathering in Cali.?
No reason given, just given mass exodus update.

What's going on???

We attended the SkooliePalooza. We arrived at the location in California in the Big River area on the afternoon of the 21st. The next morning word passed through the camp that the rangers had come and given the word we had 24 hours to vacate.
The word was that we would relocate to the BLM near Ehrenburg Az. We relocated. People were still arriving when we left yesterday afternoon, Jan 28, 2022. It is a huge gathering. I would estimate more than 500 skoolies, joined by hundreds of van dwellers and other nomads.

No solid explanation as to why this happened. The consensus seemed to be that California required a permit for big gatherings on the BLM and it hadn't been applied for.

This was our first SkooliePalooza and the question Ruth and I never got an answer to was why the new location this year. Where we ended up, to my understanding, was the location it has been held in in past years.

The BLM near Ehrenburg is a superior location, with much more room than needed for the literal city of skoolies that showed.

[Rock-N-Ruth]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

I always thought skolliepalooza was a well organized event? ive never been (quartzite is about as opposite as it gets to my liking of on-grid) but always semeed like theyd be the type to organize and run it correctly..

Highly organized? Not from our perspective. We signed up on their web site months early. At the time we signed up we were told the finite location in Parker, Az would be announced two weeks before the event. Then one day before the event, nada bing, bada boom, x marks the spot is in California.

It was a mad house. Ruth and I have decided that if they hold it again next year, we may attend. But if we do we will camp outside of the congested gathering.

We relocated to outside the camp our last night. It was much less chaotic. Best of both worlds. We could visit many skoolies then return to our reasonably private camp. The area is huge.

The event was far less organized than the SkooliePalooza web site described. Then strangely the SkooliePalooza web site just started forwarding to their Facebook page.

We don't do Facebook, so we couldn't see the posts made during the event, however folks in our camp mentioned that the organizers hand thrown up their hands and wouldn't be doing it next year.

[TheHubbardBus]

Originally Posted by LoveandRage

1. Skooliepalooza has never had a permit and has also never had a problem operating without a permit in Ehrenberg. What happened this year is a direct result of the organizer deciding to change the location. No one knows why that decision was made and many people had misgivings about the new location because that area is more heavily patrolled and controlled by BLM.

2. THE organizer (the man who owns the Skooliepalooza trademark) has never attended the event. All ire, rage and discontent should be directed at him. I don’t know his name but trademarks are public record so I’m sure one of you fine cats can figure it out. He also blocks the people who criticize the event in the Skooliepalooza Facebook group.

Thanks very much for your input & clarification. And of course the hard-work of the volunteers who it sounds like did a great job with a bad situation.
Are you saying that the volunteers working the event aren't even in communication with the person 'organizing' it?

My opinion isn't worth much, but I don't see this continuing on as it has been for long permit-free, even in Ehrenberg. Combine the fubar organization you describe with continuously growing numbers and eventually one or more attendees are going to exceed the stupidity limit and force LE's hand. Especially when those causing disruptions aren't dealt with. The eventual result is going to be a population change, with those respectful of other people's peace choosing not to attend, while being replaced by those who aren't respectful of anything.

[Rock-N-Ruth]

Originally Posted by LoveandRage

Hi, some interesting theories in this thread but I’m actually on the ground here at the palooza and the volunteers on site are personal friends of mine.

Some things to note:

1. Skooliepalooza has never had a permit and has also never had a problem operating without a permit in Ehrenberg. What happened this year is a direct result of the organizer deciding to change the location. No one knows why that decision was made and many people had misgivings about the new location because that area is more heavily patrolled and controlled by BLM.

2. THE organizer (the man who owns the Skooliepalooza trademark) has never attended the event. All ire, rage and discontent should be directed at him. I don’t know his name but trademarks are public record so I’m sure one of you fine cats can figure it out. He also blocks the people who criticize the event in the Skooliepalooza Facebook group.

3. The volunteers on the ground have no operational control and only learned of the (new) exact location a few days before the event. They are just as frustrated as everyone else.

4. The main volunteer Steve, didn’t split at the first sign of trouble as has been suggested. He actually led the first caravan of fifty or so rigs to the old location so people would know where to go. Then he stood in the road for the next six hours directing incoming buses (and other vehicles) to the quiet or party camps, attempting to keep some order to the chaos. He’s also taken a lot of verbal abuse and misdirected anger. He’s volunteered because he loves the event and wants to help people have a good time. He’s considering quitting. He doesn’t deserve the way he’s been treated. Those of us who know him are infuriated at the level of misdirected vitriol he’s taken over this clusterfcck.

5. Skooliepalooza has not ever had to have a permit because, despite its size, the event does not leave the desert trashed. The same group of volunteers cleans up after the event and has a very good rapport with the local BLM office as a result.

6. The party side can be heard from quite a distance away. Nothing we can do about that unless the organizer decides to pull a permit and hire all of the requisite services (potties, dumpsters, security, medical, etc) and institute volume control and limit party hours.

7. Skooliepalooza remains free to attend because of its loose organization and dedication of the volunteers on the ground.

8. More than half the rigs here aren’t even school buses.

9. You can’t please everyone. Some folks want to pay a fee to go to a well organized event that does everything by the books and some folks will never stop complaining if they have to pay for anything. Considering the number of attendees and rigs here, it’s extremely impressive this event still functions as smoothly as it does and remains accessible to the very diverse group that attends.

From the perspective of a first time attendee, I'd say you got it spot on.

[LoveandRage]

Originally Posted by TheHubbardBus

Thanks very much for your input & clarification.
Are you saying that the volunteers working the event aren't even in communication with the person 'organizing' it?

My opinion isn't worth much, but I don't see this continuing on as it has been for long permit-free, even in Ehrenberg. Combine the fubar organization you describe with continuously growing numbers and eventually one or more attendees are going to exceed the stupidity limit and force LE's hand. Especially when those causing disruptions aren't dealt with. The eventual result is going to be a population change, with those respectful of other people's peace being replaced by those who aren't respectful of anything.

As I understand it, the man who owns the Skooliepalooza trademark, the website and the Facebook group essentially acts as a dictator to the couple of guys on the ground. He owns the event and makes the decisions. Full stop. And what Lock and Ruth said is correct, the only information about the event comes through the Facebook group despite the sign up page and information collected about attendees on the website. And the location was held secret even from the volunteers until a few days before the event.

It is, indeed, a huge event. I’ve never been to anything this large that had essentially zero organization outside of the individual efforts of a couple of guys trying to facilitate the actual gathering. I am also somewhat shocked that it hasn’t been shut down at this size and can only refer back to the fact that this area is well kept by the folks who return here to camp year after year. It is the same site as the bi-annual Nomad Cleanup event and my understanding is because the folks who squat here over winter are so protective of keeping it clean and well cared for that the local BLM office looks the other way.

That all being said, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if this was the last year this specific event is run simply because the volunteers are probably quitting. Rumors abound about a similar event with a different name and better organization coming to this site next year but can only say those are rumors at this point.

[Oldyeller]

Thanks to LoveandRage and Rock-N-Ruth for the in-person perspective on Skooliepalooza 2022. Maybe my paranoid musings early in the thread are actually accurate, Cali-forlornia just doesn't want lowlife gypsies driving motorized vehicles into their socially advanced state.

I've been interested in Skooliepalooza since I got my bus and I watch as many videos as I can find (I'm retired and it's winter so it helps preserve my sanity) on YouTube. From what I've watched I've concluded that there's a huge influx of van-lifers this year and I've noted a lot of them seem to be young folks who might be interested in kicking up their heels. That's not a bad thing but I'm concerned that I might not be able to find a place to fit into such a group assuming I get there next year. It's been my hope that I might be able to find folks of like mind (hmmm, does that mean old - I guess so) at Skooliepalooza but I'm wondering if those folks will stop going.

I've too have been wondering if Skooliepalooza might be headed for a collapse from it's own weight, that seems likely, especially in light of the fact that the 'ownership' of the event IS in absentia, that never works well and I wonder why the owner doesn't participate. I've watched a YouTube video by the owner from several years ago. In it he explains that his bus broke down which is why he hasn't been going to Skooliepalooza, seems like a bogus reason. Perhaps life is choking him, who knows.

[incubus]

They may be well organized,but they are dealing with California, wear anything that's not to some ones liking is illegal.

[cadillackid]

Goes to show there is ALWAYS more than one side to a story and often the most dramatic aside gets posted online.. great to hear clarifaction from others who were actually there..!!

[HamSkoolie]

So someone trademarked the name "skooliepalooza" and has a website and facebook page but has nothing to do with the gathering? If he hasn't pulled permits, then, the only thing he can control is use of the name.
CIAO buddy. Ya got zero say except to tell people they can't use the name

[Deb&John]

While it's ALL BLM, wether Cali or AZ, it still is law that no organized events are allowed with our $$permit$$. Evidently the BLM rangers in California arrived and dispersed the several hundred busses. He supposedly also said that they were damaging the fauna and not staying in the designated areas. So, everyone went to Ehrenburg AZ where it has always been. On the third day in AZ, a BLM ranger did show up and actually stopped at our campsite as we were along the entrance. He said that someone had been "kicked out" and was angry, reporting the gathering to be ornery. He said he didn't want to make trouble, but to finish the report, he needed to drive around, which he did, and then left without issue.
I personally feel that SP is becoming too big, and the spirit of what it once was has changed into a big drug party scene. There were complaints of theft, loose dogs and several instances of general disrespect for others. Many MANY non Skoolie peeps there too... I suspect the original organizers are resigning because of all the negative comments, and I don't think it will ever be what it once was.

[Mercuric Mind]

Originally Posted by Deb&John

I personally feel that SP is becoming too big, and the spirit of what it once was has changed into a big drug party scene. There were complaints of theft, loose dogs and several instances of general disrespect for others. Many MANY non Skoolie peeps there too... I suspect the original organizers are resigning because of all the negative comments, and I don't think it will ever be what it once was.

Sad. I was hoping to go to one of those gatherings, some day. Perhaps not.

[Oldyeller]

Originally Posted by Mercuric Mind

Sad. I was hoping to go to one of those gatherings, some day. Perhaps not.

I agree, I was hoping I'd make it to one before they degenerated into chaos but after this one, it's not looking good.

[Booyah45828]

Originally Posted by LoveandRage

4. The main volunteer Steve, didn’t split at the first sign of trouble as has been suggested. He actually led the first caravan of fifty or so rigs to the old location so people would know where to go. Then he stood in the road for the next six hours directing incoming buses (and other vehicles) to the quiet or party camps, attempting to keep some order to the chaos. He’s also taken a lot of verbal abuse and misdirected anger. He’s volunteered because he loves the event and wants to help people have a good time. He’s considering quitting. He doesn’t deserve the way he’s been treated. Those of us who know him are infuriated at the level of misdirected vitriol he’s taken over this clusterfcck.

Thanks for the synopsis. I was unaware that skooliepalooza was trademarked. It's pretty unfortunate, but not surprising. Most unfortunate that the owner isn't even a participant.

I cut this exact response, because you're probably correct in that your friend, Steve, doesn't deserve the flack he's received. The problem is that he seems to have presented himself as the main volunteer/go to guy for the event, and will therefore receive the headaches associated with being in that position. His response was likely admirable, and he probably did the best he could. But being in that position, and with how poorly this seems to have been set up and ran from the get go, I feel he brought some of it upon himself.

I've been put in a similar situation, where I've been the one viewed as being in charge, but was actually responsible for none of it, and was blamed for the calamity that ensued. You learn to spot those situations and distance yourself from them as quickly as possible. Hopefully Steve will come to realize that, avoid it the next time, and take none of the grief he received personally.

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by Booyah45828

Thanks for the synopsis. I was unaware that skooliepalooza was trademarked. It's pretty unfortunate, but not surprising. Most unfortunate that the owner isn't even a participant.

I cut this exact response, because you're probably correct in that your friend, Steve, doesn't deserve the flack he's received. The problem is that he seems to have presented himself as the main volunteer/go to guy for the event, and will therefore receive the headaches associated with being in that position. His response was likely admirable, and he probably did the best he could. But being in that position, and with how poorly this seems to have been set up and ran from the get go, I feel he brought some of it upon himself.

I've been put in a similar situation, where I've been the one viewed as being in charge, but was actually responsible for none of it, and was blamed for the calamity that ensued. You learn to spot those situations and distance yourself from them as quickly as possible. Hopefully Steve will come to realize that, avoid it the next time, and take none of the grief he received personally.

other thing is nowadays rumors spread so quick on social media.. all it takes is one person to tell someone what they "think" May have went on.. and that person posts it on social media and next thing everyone assumes thats the truth and the only truth and next comes everyone sharing / reposting etc something that may not even be true.. or only half true...