Pubdate: Fri, 17 Aug 2012
Source: Nelson Star (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 Black Press
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/4kNvY8sy
Website: http://www.bclocalnews.com/kootenay_rockies/nelsonstar/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4866
Author: Megan Cole

SHAMBHALA: BIG FESTIVAL, SIMPLE VALUES

On Friday morning I packed my car and set off for Salmo River Ranch.

I first went to the farm which hosts Shambhala last year in July, 
just after moving to Nelson.

I went to the site to learn about the family and the story behind 
what has quickly grown to be one of Canada's premier music festivals.

I met Corrine Zawaduk - one of the event's executive directors - and 
her dad Rick Bundschuh, I heard stories about what I've come to 
realize is the heart and soul of Shambhala.

Shambhala is - of course - a music festival focused on electronic 
music, but it's more than that.

Since I was 18, I have been to a lot of music festivals, more than I 
can count really.

I'm not an expert in event planning and management, but I am a music 
lover and a journalist, which means I have a curious mind.

I have been to music festivals that vary in size from Unity Fest in 
Winlaw, to Vancouver Folk Fest, to Rifflandia in Victoria and 
Sasquatch in Washington State; and having been to many festivals I 
can say without question that Shambhala is different.

On Monday morning I was told by the festival's executive producers 
about the death of 23-year-old Mitchell Joseph Fleischacker.

My heart ached for the family of this young man, for his friends and 
for the festival organizers.

As I spent time with the executive producers and organizers during 
this tragic time, it became apparent to me the family that is behind 
Shambhala not only cares about each other, but has extended that to 
the people that call the farm home for the duration of the festival.

The distress and sadness of what had happened was on everyone's face 
because they had lost a member of the Shambhala family.

The event has endured a lot of criticism from the local community 
since it began.

They are put under the microscope and condemned for the actions of 
the attendees of the festival.

There is drug use at Shambhala. The festival organizers don't deny 
that and don't try to hide from that reality.

But there is also drug use at every music festival.

 From marijuana to beer, festival-goers often indulge in substances 
while enjoying some good music, and many stay sober and enjoy the 
music and experience as well.

Unlike a lot other festivals though, Shambhala takes a proactive 
approach to harm reduction.

Shambhala does not encourage drug use by suggesting that using them 
will enhance the enjoyment of the event.

As you drive in to the grounds there are signs like "Take Good Care 
of Each Other," and "You are Home."

There is a wish tree, where attendees can hang notes of encouragement 
and hope for their community and for the festival.

Few events take an approach like this to their festival-goers. They 
aren't just a source of income, but a part of a larger community.

There is a heart and soul to Shambhala that doesn't exist with any 
other event I've been to.

They truly care about the people that attend their event and in that 
encourage attendees to care about each other.

The organizers also care about their community and reinvest their 
earnings into the community they call home.

As I spent time with Zawaduk on the last day of the festival I could 
see that behind the sadness she was feeling for Fleishackers loss, 
there was a sense of pride and happiness for what she and her family 
had created.

Shambhala isn't just a party on a farm with 10,000 and world-class 
electronic music, it is a community that comes together and inspires 
people to be who they are.

In the past year, since I attended the event for the first time in 
2011, I have gotten to know the executive producers and many members 
of what they call the "farmily."

When you speak to any of them about the festival, passion, 
inspiration and devotion ooze from every part of them. They don't do 
it to make money, win awards or gain acclaim from the industry. They 
do it for the people who attend.

In speaking to people from the music and festival industry at the VIP 
barbecue on Saturday night, the words "world-class" were uttered by 
almost everyone.

But while the festival may be in the international spotlight, at the 
root of it is a family, who are essentially farmers, who had a vision 
for a festival 15 years ago and have built something that as a 
community we should be proud of.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom