Doo-Nanny Festival 2013

Well, here it is folks... my SUPER belated Doo-Nanny '13 post.   I uploaded these photos months ago and am just now getting around to writing about the (always) wonderful Doo experience.

This year's Doo-Nanny Festival took place on the last weekend of March, which also happened to be Easter weekend.  In some strange way, that might of kept a few folks from going but I celebrate Easter as the Spring Equinox and the welcoming of the renewal of life and fertility- so a giant burning yoni (vagina is such a strange sounding word) sitting atop a pond seemed to be the perfect way to welcome in the shift of the seasons. 

For those who may be wondering what the hell a Doo~Nanny is, please refer to my last two post:

Doo-Nanny '11 & Doo-Nanny '12

Now, onward we go....  The Doo-Nanny really gets better every year. The family is always growing and evolving and more and more people are pitching in their time and efforts to make this wondrous event come to life. Butch Anthony is at the heart of it all, but surrounding him there is an amazing group of people who come to the land and spends days, weeks and even a month living on the land and preparing it for the beautiful happening that is to come each year. 

One of the main attractions is the burn. Each year Butch and his crew work to build a big beautiful sculpture which most refer to as the womb and others simply call it a giant vagina.  One of my favorite things about this structure is that you can go inside of it. I remember a few years back there was a swing inside of it, which was quite magical.   Throughout the weekend everyone enjoys lounging in the sculpture and taking photos of and with it.  It's really a sight to see! The highlight of this art installation is the moment when it is set aflame and BURNS. There is something so primitive and communal about this. Everyone stands together with a light in their eyes and that's a feeling that I really love. 

Aside from the burn, there as SO many wonderful things about this event.  For one, the artists are amazing and I always leave filled up with enough inspiration to last me an entire year. The art is endless and I always have the feeling that there was still so much that I didn't see- because there is just SO much to take in. One things that makes this festival stand out from any other festival that I have attended is the structures that people build. Folks come from all over the states and they build these wild little shacks to display their art in. Some look like shacks while others favor small houses. Words really can not describe the Doo-Nanny in it's entirety.

Now, onto the music... The main stage was built by hand and HOLY SHIT it is amazing.  

Lots of folks come down from the Asheville area to perform, including my ALL-TIME favorite Doo band...the Screaming J's... Seriously, I've got a huge admiration for ragtime music and these folks obviously love and respect it as well.   They're just all-around GREAT and if you happen to be in the Asheville, NC area then you should go to one of their shows! I remember Friday night at the Doo we heard a piano in the distance and wondered down past the communal kitchen to the stage and there were the Screaming J's playing a set to a silent film... Hot damn! It was great, nothing less. 

& as for the communal kitchen. Well, that's the place where I experienced my first (and hopefully only) electrocution during a thunderstorm... Bare feet in a puddle of water... putting a pot of water on the stove and BAM! A memory that will never leave me.  That was last year, this year I had such a massive supply of food (thanks to family) that I didn't venture to the kitchen much other than to restock on water. But really, the kitchen must be my favorite thing about the festival.  Food, fire and music are communal and really bring people together. There is SO much love in this place and nothing beats making food and sharing it with random people. 

Overall, I LOVE the Doo-Nanny and I will continue to return year after year- no matter how far that I may live. This was my third year as a vendor and I am so happy with my set-up, which continues to blossom into something new with each experience. I had space #1 and was right on the corner to greet folks as they appeared.  It was a great spot and also made for a nice quiet camping space at night, which was perfect for us because we love to catch our Zzzzz'z. 

Although the experience was overall very positive, there were definitely some things that I hope to see change in the future. For one, I want to make sure that every single attendee understands the importance of our place here on earth and how we must all be conscious of our actions and especially our waste.  Butch must have worked his ass off to build all of those outhouses and have those holes drilled into the ground & to see so much litter inside of those holes really broke my heart.  Just thinking about it makes me feel a tad bit emotional, because well, the earth is our mother and we belong to her- not the opposite.   I mean, people were throwing trash into a hole in the earth! That's not something that we can just go and dig back out... So that really disturbed me and I know that it must be discouraging for those who are involved with running this event.  With that said, I hope to make signs for every single outhouse that emphasizes this point.   The earth is not our waste bin for trash!   I think this issue is largely due to the amount of people who go looking for a party with the only goal of getting fucked up. Which is something that we all have to make an effort to change.  

We want conscious people to attend events like this! And that number of conscious people must continue to grow.  I felt that there were folks who really took advantage of their opportunity to be a guests on the land- and that is something that needs to change.    But again, WE can all work together to make sure that next year we have an even bigger positive impact on ALL the attendees and that people are more consciously aware of their role. 

So with that said, let's JOIN THE FORCES OF GOOD and work together to make amazing things happen.  YOU have SO much power to change the world- which every single thought, word and action that you put out into your environment every day.  C'mon people, smile on your brother. Every body get together and try to LOVE ONE ANOTHER right now. <3 br="">

My booth, Resting Nomad...

inside my booth...

wonderful friends & face paint customers

(Going to post links to the artists work SOON! Stay tuned...)