*Though I cover arts and entertainment professionally, community and inspiration focused content is central to my passion. This story is about a group, whose numbers have steadily grown, who endeavored to hold their own unique celebration, kind of like their own mini music festival. I hope this piece will serve as motivation to you, dear reader, to find and form your own unique collective and create a special space for yourself, your friends, and your family, where you can adventure, celebrate, engage, and explore the natural elements with those you love and treasure.*
There’s a place shrouded in forest, where the waters flow like serenity. A haven, a home, a biome for many organisms, some of them human. Multitudes of creatures thrive surrounded by this majestic beauty, where travelers endeavor a reprieve from the drudgery and droll of their daily lives. Within the confines of these woods, fires crackle at night, fed by the fuel of laughter and jubilee. Animals hidden within the trees? Plenty, but when you bring your own Bear, those native beasts stay away. A growl in the darkness, a purr besides your ear. There’s nothing to fear, when in the company of friends, you hold dear.
The place I’ve described is called Shotgun Eddy’s. The congregation I’m depicting has declared themselves Shreddies. However, because I like to title things in my own my way, I have blessed them as the Glow-Stick Nation, for many of the principles they appreciate and practice resonate with souls far beyond the hallowed arena this celebration calls home, in Whitewater, WI beside the Wolf River.
Shreddies is a union of beautiful, charismatic, cheerful, and loving sapiens who dote and care for one another throughout the course of four days. Well, most of the time. When it rains, it’s generally every human for themselves. They’re also a bunch of savages who enjoy cutting and cracking each other up. That’s not a bad thing, either, as I find their range and versatility to be quite endearing. There’s a word for this relationship between the darkness and light of a person’s personality. Dichotomy.
Setup for festivities begins on a Wednesday, kind of like a pre-party. Tents are pitched, canopies erected, and party assets like a dome, disco ball, bubble making machine, and lasers and lights are set up and placed. Everyone who shows up early finds a way to pitch in. The main festivities run from Thursday-Saturday. On Sunday, everyone packs up camp, cleans up trash, says their goodbyes to one another, and leaves the confines of Shotgun Eddies to return to a more ‘civilized’ life. Throughout the weekend, there are activities aplenty. A group river float in tubes, a rafting trip the day after, and 4000 glow sticks of fun, spread across multiple nights, are but a few of the shenanigans this group gets up to.
Everyone brings the gear they need for survival. Tents, mattresses, cots, blankets, pillows, clothing, cooking stoves, food, drink, and whatever else one might need to enjoy themselves within this outdoor lyceum. Sunscreen? I never remember what that is until after I need it. Burn, baby, burn! Bug spray? Keep your ‘Deet’! I might take a little bit of ‘Off’, but I’m mostly organic.
Even though we’re camping, that doesn’t mean we let ourselves become ragged and filthy. The campground sits just off the Wolf River, after all. A quick dip in its cool, clean waters feels refreshing (cold baths and showers are amazeballs), and the grunge and grime comes off nearly instantly. To me, it feels like entering the domain of the Greeks goddess, Gaia, for a bit of nurturing. She accepts all who love and respect the bounty of her beautiful nature. Baptize yourself within her streams, and allow her grace to cleanse your body, mind, and soul.
Now, if you are going to bathe in the river, make sure you only use soap, shampoo, and conditioner of natural composition. Most shampoos and conditioners have a sudsing agent that kills fish if it gets into the water. There’s a mindfulness aspect that everyone needs to respect when in habitats harboring the wildlife of our world. Thankfully, plenty of members of our group are well aware of these facts, and make sure to impress this knowledge upon others. If you don’t want to risk killing fish, a dunk and soak will do, or you could always go for the trusty old school baby wipe bath if you don’t like to get wet. I know it sounds crazy, but I’ve met at least one water faring queen, as of late, who expressed this sentiment.
The water is an integral part of the Shreddies experience. It starts with a relaxing river float in tubes. We fill coolers and waterproof bags with food and beverages. Some folks bring their cameras, along with other necessities, stored in staunch containers fashioned around necks or tied to our floatables. It takes about four hours to complete, depending on the water’s level. There are a couple of inlets and islands that serve as ideal locations to get out and appreciate the gorgeousness this scenic river affords.
Though it is a relaxing float, there are a couple areas with rapids that can cause some uneasiness and throw people from their tubes. When this happens, the best thing to do is stay calm. Push your legs below and out front of your body and arch your back. There are plenty of rocks in the river, and by using this technique, your legs will discover them first and keep the rest of your vitals from receiving major damage or harm. You might bump, scrape, or gash a knee or leg, but we’ll patch you up back at camp. It’s a badge of honor, in a way. Furthermore, life jackets are supplied along with the tubes before we set out. Fastening them to your body before you hit these risky quarters can make all the difference as to the condition in which you exit the river.
The rafting trip is cool as hell and offers a bit more danger than tubing. Excellent, some of us like living in the danger zone. Hey, Kenny Loggins! You wanna go Shreddin’, bro?
The rafting course offers more rapids, more rocks, more fallen trees, and more adversity than the tubing route, so keep your head on a swivel. Having a competent rafting partner is a blessing. I, myself, was joined to river afficionado, Frank the Tank, the past two years. It was our first time meeting each other, last year. When you spend some time navigating rivers and rapids with another person, you get a sense of who sits beside you. Frank is caring, cool, calm, and collected. His eyes are constantly scanning the water. He’ll spot a water snake from fifty yards away and inform the group in his softly confident voice. To date, I’ve never heard him shout or yell. I, myself, am a little bit more hype and excitable. What can I say, I’m a bear! Locquaciousness and verbosity are part and parcel to my toolkit. I growl, purr, and roar, for entertainment purposes. However, I do know how to practice a mindful silence as I adore listening to friends tell their own stories and speak on matters important to them.
Once again, when things go awry, stay calm and follow the same advice I shared with you concerning tubing. The most important thing is to exit the river alive. You might lose a couple of items if your raft tips, but that’s why I keep my personal affects in a waterproof bag and attach it to one of the rafts handles. If the raft tips over and dumps its occupants, my bag holds on. Once again, keep cool under pressure, believe in yourself, float a little bit, and then resurrect the raft to its proper orientation once you reach a milder stretch of the river. Hop back in, and keep going, baby! Rafting rapids is kind of like a test of your souls’ inner mettle. I know you’re strong enough, so don’t lose faith in your abilities. That’s the same way we navigate life’s trials and tribulations.
Before I get to talking about campsite activities, I’d like to share some excerpts from a conversation I had with the founder and progenitor of this event, ‘The Shredfather’, aka Cory Haynes, on how this event came to be, its motivations, some of the characteristics that make this celebration special, and how revelry of this sort supports community. The following samples come directly from our discourse.
To begin with, I love origin stories. Thus, I started by asking when Cory discovered Shotgun Eddies, and how soon he knew he wanted to make this an annual event.
“I think it was 2016-17. After the first time we went, I knew it was going to be an annual thing, immediately. I was familiar with it [Shotgun Eddy’s], I had heard of it, but I had never been. It was a pretty popular party place back when I was in high school. Basically, what happened was one year, I either didn’t have the funds to go to Electric Forest, or I wasn’t feeling it, and I was like, ‘oh, I still feel like doing something cool for my birthday.’ I was like, ‘let’s go tubing.’ After looking for some tubing stuff, it ended up being Shotgun Eddy’s. By the end of the weekend, I didn’t need to look anywhere else, I didn’t need to think about anywhere else, this is what we’re gonna do every year, forever.”
I loved this insight into how Shreddies came to be. One of the things that I hear all the time from festival enthusiasts is they don’t know how to take their festival mentality and apply it to their lives back home. It’s a mindset. We are extensions of the communities, events, and groups we appreciate. Like the roots of a tree, we grow outwards to nourish and support the larger organism.
As we furthered our conversation, naturally, we touched on what makes Shreddies the special experience that it is. I’ll tell you, one of my favorite aspects of the Shreddies expedition is the isolation. About thirty minutes out from the campground, my phone loses signal. Good! Nobody needs to get a hold of me, anyway, and I want to be present in the moment around my friends, as much as possible. We, as humans in this ever evolving technological world, are constantly assaulted by distractions. It’s a blessing to unplug from this relationship and return to a more natural state of being. I asked Cory about his favorite element concering the Shreddies escapade as a group endeavor, and he wasted no time highlighting the culture, first and foremost.
“I know it’s going to sound cliché to say, but it’s the community. I’ve been a little selective over the years about people I’ve invited because I’ve always wanted to invite people that would respect each other, get along, almost kind of create a family, essentially. That’s kind of where the rules came about. Rule one, respect everyone around you, employees, everyone else there. Rule two, we leave everywhere as clean as when we got there. Rule three is no cellphones.”
As he touched base on Shreddies, ‘leave no trace’ policy, I engaged him with a question about how this concept influences the good in a person. In my mind, we have obligations to ourselves, each other, and the pristine natural theaters of our world as caretakers. Cory agreed and shared his thoughts on the matter.
“Yea, absolutely. The way I feel about it is, I want to do the things we all enjoy. Cleaning up after ourselves shows other people that we can party responsibly. We’re not here to destroy anything. We’re not here to take away anything from someone else’s good time. We just want to have a good time, not at anyone else’s expenses or the Earth’s expense. We want to do our thing.”
Within this group, there are a lot of creatives with plenty of ideas. One of the items that has surfaced is growing Shreddies from the small celebration among friends that it is, into a mini festival of sorts. I inquired of Cory how he sees a goal like this coming to fruition.
“It would take a lot. I think it would be starting off with a couple of small musicians (following, not stature), maybe a small stage, some sound, more lights. I think it’s totally doable. Half the employees themselves were like, ‘We would love it if you threw a festival here!’ After that, it kind of became a lot more serious and realistic.”
I’ll share Cory’s thoughts on two final items, the first being what he sees as the philosophy of Shreddies. “Forget about all your problems for a weekend and just enjoy yourself. I think it really comes down to, get to know all the people around you as good as you can. Forget about any of the bullshit you got going on, and really just take a weekend to reground yourself, re-find yourself, and enjoy yourself to the max.”
Finally, I asked Cory to share his feelings on how he thinks we should treat one another. He supplied this tenet. “I would think it’s along the lines of listen to everybody with an open mind, and hear where they’re actually coming from, and treat everyone the way you wish you were treated.” The golden rule, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Back to the action at the campsite, this is where a lot of our fun takes place. It’s our home away from home. We play bags, and Shawn Smith dominated this past edition, virtually going undefeated. We bring our SoundBoks and JBL speakers (JBL’s offer waterproof models, excellent for river fun) so we can bump our tunes. We eat well, everyone shares with each other. There’s a rule where you’re not supposed to feed the bears, but I gotta tell you, these guys and gals make sure I’m well fed allllllll weekend long. One such erudite fella, Joseph K, brings his Blackstone and will suddenly decide to cook up a storm in the early hours of the morning. That’s cool, many of us party late into the night, and the smell of bacon and quesadillas at daybreak is soothing to many nostril cavities, before catching a few hours of restful sleep once the sun comes up. There are some folks who run the marathon pitch for a couple of days straight. Insanity? Naw, man, it’s just their version of a good time.
I mentioned the glowsticks, and golly gee, once they come out, the entire environment changes. There’s a ceremony that takes place where they’re handed out to multiple representatives. A track is played that includes a dope drop, and once it hits, they are all cast into the air. Thousands of glowsticks illuminate the darkness, eventually falling to the forest floor. Then, the games begin. Connectors are provided for those who enjoy building things, and it is incredible the types of creations these kit kats construct. Umbrellas, jellyfish, cars, and crowns fit for a queen. As this is happening, others collect them like munitions to their arsenal, throwing them at others. Dude, I took two of them to the face, one in the eye from Chris B, and one to the teeth from Joseph K. Nice shooting, boys. I’ll get you both back, when you least expect it. Wanna see that sweet glowstick drop? I got you, babe. Check out this sweet video.
Before I put the finishing touches on this piece and sign-off, I want to thank my boy Eric, who goes by Hollywould, for inviting me to this celebration last year. Along the lines of what Cory mentioned earlier, I was a natural fit to join the group. I’m an acerbic, cerebral, eclectic, and energetic intelligence with a big heart and an intense fervor for celebrating life and love. I care about my friends, and people in general, a whole heck of a lot, even sometimes to the point where I risk my own health and wellness. Yet, if it wasn’t for the company of others, this would surely be a lonely existence to endure.
I want to give thanks to many for their friendship. First and foremost, there are four people I met at my inaugural Shreddies experience, last year, who have been nothing but good to me, and supported me through cameraderie and conversation, directly enabling my growth and evolution as a creative force through their encouragement. Tyler, a talented and creative entity who has steadfastly contributed to my productions whenever able. Joseph, my philosophizing Viking brother who harbors a powerful mind I’ve come to respect. Marium, an extraordinarily wonderful and caring young woman who’s friendship and early input helped cement the audial form of these stories. And Sandi, who’s sweet and spicy nature is an absolute treat to be around. You all deserve a standing ovation. As a matter of fact, I’m standing and giving you each an extended round of applause, right now (I’m clapping).
Additionally, I want to give thanks to Cody and Taylor, Shawn and Dani, Matt F, Chris C and Randi, Brett, Chris B and Nikki, Bill, and Max. These souls have engaged me in discourse on ideas that many others would shirk and shy away from. I love intellectuality, and there are topics too sensitive for some to delineate. Not with these, beautiful minds. It’s a blessing in life to have people who complement your own personality and do everything they can to help their friends advance, improve, and flourish. In a way, that’s what Shreddies is about. We’re here to have fun, support one another, and leave our best impressions upon the world. To the rest of the Shreddies crew, Cory and Jimmy especially, I appreciate your candor, conduct, and demeanor in creating a healthy atmosphere and environment for all to be part of. It isn’t easy to organize an event of this caliber, and everyone’s contributions are appreciated.
Oh, one last thing. Technically, I saved the best for last. When I began outlining this piece, I reached out to the Shred Fam Facebook group and asked all if they would like to contribute any pictures, quotes, or feelings about Shreddies to this write-up. One man, a lone wolf, took me up on my offering. My guy, the incredible Shawn Smith (great at bags, among other things). I’d like to share with you an excerpt from a running set of notes he keeps pertaining to Shreddies, which he provided me through messenger.
“I’m so lucky to have air in my lungs. The air provides me the opportunity to share with you some of the ways I feel. I’m so lucky that I have water to drink. And not just water to drink but the water that gives us the opportunity to have this amazing weekend, and the fun we have when we go tubing and rafting.
I’m so lucky to be able to experience this beautiful and amazing weekend with you year after year. Gathering people and experiences as we grow, opportunities to enlighten our souls. I’m so lucky I have friends like you guys. Friends who I know also cherish this weekend, year after year.”
Well said, Shawn. It may not be the first thing people recognize, you handsome angel, but you have a way with words. I saw that rhyme, you little sweetheart. Spend time with your friends, let them know you love them, and support them whenever, and however you can. This is Bear Swiftly, the Electro Scribe, signing off. Sayonara all you Samurai.
Be well, be successful. Bear Swiftly.
–Electro Scribe–
