From long before anyone ever stepped foot on Maddox Ranch, PreHeat 2008, the inaugural official Florida Regional Burn, was infused with community support and enthusiasm. This positive energy, coming from seasoned Burner and Virgin alike, created a soul and a heartbeat for PreHeat that filled the entire weekend. The PreHeat community created an environment that fostered art, poetry, personal responsibility, healing, and most importantly, fun.

As Participants made their way down the dirt road to the greeter station they were urged to remove their peel by wonderful inspirational quotes gifted by Charis. And once at the Greeter Station they were not only welcomed with open arms and stiff paddles, they were asked to sign a most unusual document, the “Porta Potty Pledge”. In an effort to maintain the pleasantest potties for our participants the pledge was used to educate participants on proper potty use. In addition to listing do’s and don’ts the Pledge threatened time in the Porta Potty Stockades (Leanna & Rob’s art project) for any violators. Between the Pledge, the Stockades, and wall papering the potties with signed pledges (Peter’s wonderful art project), Participants took to heart this new education and the potties were kept nearly MOOP-free! Over the entire weekend, with around 250 participants and nine potties there were only a handful of violations and most of those consisted of MOOP left on the potty floor rather than dumped into the potty. Equally impressive were Participants’ dedication to keeping the overall site MOOP to a minimum and volunteering - about 1 out of every 5 Participants volunteered to help with greeters, Rangers, PiMPPs (PreHeat Medical & Pyro Posse), and the effigy builds.

So with their potty oath on their mind, Participants happily turned down Yellow Brick Road and entered the world of PreHeat. Fifteen theme camps created a sprawling esplanade along Drunken Drive and the Boulevard of Broken Dreams. Bubble Camp, Conscious Sound, Old Skool Rave, and OBE filled the air with tunes and beats suitable to every frame of mind and time of day while the Blazing Coffee Bean kept everyone perky and the Pallet Bar kept everyone in good spirits. Mandela Camp encouraged Participants to look deeper and Naked City encouraged them to dress less.

Spin Camp provided lessons in poi, staff, and hoop and the Huka Louge provided the most fabulous dinner for volunteers. Wine, cheese, and poetry were enjoyed at East of Scrap Eden while plushy body parts were mingled at Franken Babies. And the Purple Passion Palace hosted the Wango Video Lounge and served a yummy Sunday Brunch.

Many Participants lounged at the pool, took turns grassboarding, and volunteered as a canvas for Raoul’s tireless brush. Others exchanged gifts with the Gifting Tree, took a ride on the Bed, and tasted the edible art freshly cooked in an extraordinary show on a Teppanyaki grill.

Participants enjoyed the view from atop The Oven as it preheated to 420 on Friday. And the Firey Bitches of Bitch Nation and Riz of the Fire Keepers used their extraordinarily large fire canons to help the Shim get its burn on Saturday night. The Paper Tree lit the early morning hours on Sunday in an impromptu burn thanks to the help of a lone fire canon.

Throughout the weekend drama was nearly nonexistent, MOOP was barely visible, and the potties were kept in tip top shape, while the art, creativity, and positive energy reached one peak after another thanks to the Participants and my crew: Fjord - the infamous Ranger Wrangler, Tama - the Ultimate Bitch’s Bitch, and the volunteers. And yes, I did take time to have fun myself, the truth is that every moment was a blast from the time I stepped foot on Maddox.

The Stats:

3 Days
270 Participants
50+ Volunteers
9 Porta Potties
15+ Theme Camps
2 Effigy Burns
2 Art Cars
Art, art, and more art
1 attempted entry without an invite (both he and his ego were denied entry)
2 minor poi related burn injuries (treated by on site medical)
1 minor sprained ankle from grassboarding (treated by on site medical)
Reports of a white male making inappropriate repeated hand gestures in public (this is under investigation and will be handled appropriately)
MOOP Report: 1 beer bottle had to be fished out of a potty, several empty fuel cans were left behind by fire performers, 1 large black bag full of garbage was left behind in the area where Conscious Sound was camped.


Storm
Burning Man Regional Contact - Central Florida


In Florida We Don't Need Matches to Burn!