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April 2017 President's Message
by Richard Mason
Exercising the rights of citizenship to obtain free beaches
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This is a continuation of my column in last month's issue. After the establishment of Haulover Park's designated naturist family beach in July 1991, we hoped it was time for members of South Florida Free Beaches, Inc. (SFFB), a non-profit, all-volunteer naturist association affiliated with The Naturist Society, to lie back on their beach blankets and enjoy the beach. Alas, it was not to be.
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Florida legislative report, first half of 2017 session
by Richard Mason, SFFB President and Government Affairs Committee Chair
The Florida Legislature opened its annual 60-day session on March 7. There are usually over two thousand bills and amendments introduced. Most need to be read.
Legislators who are requested to introduce bills, such as an anti-nudity bill, know from experience that such a controversial bill would attract a lot of opposition from beach naturists as well as nudist resort residents and tourists who visit Florida's nudist resorts. They would therefore try to slip it in late in the session, in another bill, and on the last day bills are accepted.
In the past, the naturist / nudist citizens flooded the state capitol in Tallahassee with phone calls, faxes, snail mail,and emails, causing its phone system to shut down on overload. We have successfully defeated anti-nudity legislation introduced during several sessions over the past 25 years. South Florida Free Beaches has a paid lobbyist in Tallahassee, Ramon Maury, principal of Maury Management Group, who represents our interests. He reads bills, consults with legislators on issues, and has an excellent relationship with legislative leaders.
In the current session, Senator Lauren Book introduced a child protection bill more than 25 pages long. There was wording in the bill that could be misinterpreted by law enforcement in such a way as to impact adult nudity on Haulover Beach if a minor were present. Ramon, our lobbyist, met with Senator Book to discuss the bill. At this writing, we are sure it has been worked out. Because of our lobbyist's activity on our behalf, we did not have to send out an "Action Alert" requesting Florida naturists to contact Senator Book or any other legislator.
As this newsletter goes to press, there are four weeks left in the 2017 session. If there are any surprises in the remainder of this session that would affect nude recreation, we will notify you with instructions in an "Action Alert." The beach you help save may be your own!
The sponsors / members of South Florida Free Beaches carry the financial burden of our government affairs program in Tallahassee and elsewhere in Florida. Please see below for how you can help. |
While we, as a group, had cited the U.S. Constitution, including its amendments, the Federal Civil Rights Act, and state and federal case law to gain access to a portion of Haulover Park's beachfront, we never had to go through the Federal courts to be successful. The County Attorney's office accepted our research and believed we were on solid legal ground. We also never went through the State of Florida court system to get a ruling on our arguments. The few people cited on Haulover's naturist beach in our early years for being nude had their cases dismissed after we intervened with our attorney. Thus, no trial, no case law.
Remember, public nudity issues, at that time and still today, are resolved in the criminal court system, based on the criminal statutes of the State of Florida. The usual route for contesting citations of Florida's criminal code is through the Florida Court System. Miami-Dade County has adopted the Florida criminal statutes as the law in this county. Thus, any change in the Florida criminal statutes on the public nudity issue would be applicable in Miami-Dade County.
In 1989, at the same time that SFFB had started its quest for a naturist beach location in the Miami area, Lee Baxandall, founder of The Naturist Society, notified SFFB officers that the National Park Service at Canaveral National Seashore was planning to shut down nude use at the traditional naturist section of Playalinda Beach. This section of beach had a long history of acceptable and legal use as far back as any current citizen in the area could remember.
History books as well as hand sketches of the beach drawn by Spanish explorers in the early 1500s show Native Americans, probably Tequesta, greeting the Spanish sailors, who named it Playalinda ("beautiful beach"), while completely nude. Those drawings as well as written ship logs certify and prove that the history of nudity at that beach goes back to that era.
The advent of Playalinda forced us to bifurcate our association's efforts, one to save a beach (Playalinda) and one to acquire a beach (Haulover). This was not an easy task for a local naturist association with no paid staff whose efforts were being executed by volunteers taking time from their regular jobs. Playalinda was extremely important to the future of naturism in Florida, but I will write separately about its saga in a future article because it is a story in and of itself.
We learned through our involvement with Playalinda that Florida was the target of a national plot by a religiously sponsored political action group to make "mere nudity" in a public place a serious crime. Thus, the Playalinda Beach chapter in SFFB's history began and continues to this day, with regular meetings with the park superintendent and staff. Playalinda is still open to clothing-optional use to this day, but under our watch.
The establishment of Haulover's naturist beach in 1991 soon triggered efforts by those religious / political organizations to create amendments to Florida Statute 800.03, with wording that would have made mere nudity or top-free nudity for women a serious crime. Mere nudity, as we practice on Haulover Beach, would, by these amendments, have become a crime identified as lewd and lascivious and indecent exposure. F.S. 800.03 is the statute used to cite and arrest a person involved in a crime of a sexual nature.
Convictions under F.S. 800.03 start as a misdemeanor for the first time and escalate for repeated convictions to a felony and possible jail time. A felony conviction comes with a loss of your voting rights in Florida. That loss continues after you complete the penalty stage of your conviction. Try to get a job or a credit card after a citation or conviction under F.S. 800.03. You could possibly end up on a law enforcement sexual predator list. All that just for nude sunbathing, skinny-dipping, or top-free sunbathing!
Amidst all this anti-nudity frenzy in city, county, and state parks and beaches, as well as in national forests and seashores, that was going on all around them, SFFB was quietly researching, studying, lobbying, educating, writing, and meeting with county officials in its quest to establish a legal, designated naturist beach in Miami-Dade County. When compared to other areas and political jurisdictions, the establishment of Haulover's naturist beach was a tectonic shift in the interpretation of the U.S. Constitution as it concerns individual rights. Most of the rights that it guarantees existed before the United States government was formed. The formation of our government, by the people, was to protect those rights, not to take them away. Some call these rights Natural Law Rights.
By the members of South Florida Free Beaches establishing Haulover Beach Park's designated naturist beach, we have confirmed the intent of our country's Founding Fathers and the importance of citizens knowing who we are as a country and the responsibilities of our citizenship.
Thanks for reading this far. I will continue this discussion in next month's issue. Meanwhile, there are many interesting and informative news items in this issue. Please read them. (See the table of contents, above left.) The fact is: You need us and we need you! Stay informed and be involved.
If you are not a current member of South Florida Free Beaches, please consider becoming one — numbers matter. At $35 per year for your household, it costs just 67¢ per week. A key benefit is the continued, clothing-optional use of Haulover Beach. How much is that worth to you? Join or renew at sffb.com.
We also have a separate Legal Defense & Political Action Fund that supports our government affairs efforts and assists individuals cited for nude sunbathing. Even if you're not ready to (re)join just yet, please consider donating to this fund (not tax-deductible) to help with current challenges. Donations by bank check should be mailed to the address below (in e-mail version of newsletter). Thanks!
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Beach Ambassador training
Do you spend a lot of time on Miami's nude beach? If so, you have a chance to give back by volunteering as a Beach Ambassador (BA) to help maintain naturist standards on Haulover Beach and keep it safely nude for all to enjoy. Sign up for and attend a training to become part of a wonderful corps of volunteers.
BAs serve as beach monitors and greeters, a combination of block watch and welcome wagon. For their service, BAs at Haulover Beach get a cool hat, ID badge, and free parking on their duty days. Seasonal residents are welcome to participate.
Beach Ambassador training for the remainder of 2017 is scheduled for Haulover Beach in Miami on Saturday, April 8, July 8, and October 14. If you have any questions or wish to sign up for a training session, contact Ken.
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Haulover's parking lot problems
by Richard Mason
Last year, the Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department transferred the management and collection of parking fees in the lots of Haulover Park to the Miami Parking Authority (MPA). MPA was set up many years ago by the City of Miami to solve its parking problems, and it has a good reputation as a professionally-run agency.
While we are sure there were meetings between the two public agencies to discuss the number of cars parking in the lots, South Florida Free Beaches was not invited to those meetings, even though we are stakeholders of Haulover Park. We are also responsible for generating more than 80% of the vehicles parked in the lots by naturist beach visitors. Many of them are tourists who are surprised at the continued inefficiencies in the parking lots.
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Reminder about self-service parking
Effective June 1, 2016, Haulover Park converted its parking system from live fee collectors to self-service under contract with the Miami Parking Authority.
Fees are the same as before (see Haulover Park web page), but you should pay for parking via the PayByPhone mobile application or automated phone menu at (866) 234-7275. (If you don't yet have a PayByPhone account, save time and aggravation by setting one up before your next visit to Haulover.)
As an alternative, there are several pay stations in the park, which are supposed to accept cash and credit cards. Unfortunately, these kiosks are not up to the task during heavy usage, as described at left.
IMPORTANT: When you park, note the location number from the nearest parking sign and remember your vehicle tag (license plate) number. You will need to enter both accurately with your payment to avoid being cited for a parking violation.
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It was obvious from the beginning that the kiosks are slow to use, there aren't enough of them, and their location can be far from where a patron parks. As evidence that there are not enough kiosks, I received a report that, on one day in early March, the one in the North Parking Lot would not take additional money, ran out of money for change, and stopped giving receipts for fees paid. Around the same time, I witnessed moe than 50 park visitors in line at one kiosk and over 25 at a second kiosk in Parking Lot No. 1, all baking in the hot sun.
Furthermore, on two occasions, I have spoken to parking enforcement officers and asked if they were aware of the Beach Ambassador parking decals. (See related article above.) They both stated, "No!" Beach Ambassadors have been receiving parking tickets even though they were on duty and had their decal prominently displayed in their windshield. Reporting these erroneous citations to the park office and to the Miami Parking Authority has not resulted in the rescinding of their tickets.
In response to many complaints from beach visitors and the Beach Ambassadors, I wrote a letter last month to the Director of the Miami Parking Authority. I outlined in the letter the wrongful citations, the lack of kiosks, and other issues that we have been informed of and have witnessed. I have had no response from the Miami Parking Authority and these issues have not been resolved. I did receive a call from the Haulover Park office in response to my letter to MPA. They also have had no response regarding the parking ticket violations. MPA has told the County, however, that they believe they have enough kiosks in place at Haulover and are not going to add any additional ones despite the complaints.
A call to action
Government functions based on citizen input. If you are experiencing problems with the parking kiosk system at Haulover or have received an erroneous parking citation and wish for a final resolution, I recommend you contact the Mayor of Miami-Dade County. We are blessed with an Executive Mayor who is elected by the citizens.
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Write:Mayor Carlos Gimenez
Miami-Dade County
111 NW 1st St 29th Floor
Miami, FL 33128
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Call:(305) 375-1880
E-mail:mayor@miamidade.gov
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Fort Collins, CO fights back against top-free equality
We reported in last month's issue that a U.S. District Court judge had granted on February 22 a preliminary injunction prohibiting the City of Fort Collins, CO from enforcing its ordinance against the public exposure of female breasts, pending a final trial on the plaintiffs' request for a permanent injunction. On March 21, attorneys representing Fort Collins notified the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit that they would be filing an appeal of the injunction.
The appeal will be heard by a three-judge panel, who will consider the case record as well as written briefs and, possibly, oral arguments. At press time, the court date was not known, but the appeal process could take up to one
year. Fort Collins has already spent nearly $50,000 on outside counsel in this case and could incur an equal expense for the appeal. Furthermore, if the city loses the appeal, it could be liable for up to $150,000 in plaintiffs' court costs. For additional coverage, read Fort Collins fights to keep topless ban and Fighting Free the Nipple Topless Order Will Cost Fort Collins $250K, Attorney Says.
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AANR-Florida nudist scholarships revamped
The Professors & Researchers Special Interest Group (SIG) of The Naturist Society (TNS) reported in the February 2017 issue of its newsletter that AANR-Florida (Florida region of the American Association for Nude Recreation was revamping its Young Adult Nudist Scholarships for 2017 and would open applications in April. In an important change, AANR Florida has simplified the requirements, restoring them to what they were when the scholarships were introduced 25 years ago. The deadline for submission is May 1, 2017, so interested and qualified college students should hasten to complete their application packet.
Professor Paul LeValley, Chair of the SIG, wrote, "Over the years, [qualification] had become so encrusted with additional requirements, that many people would graduate before ever becoming eligible. With few qualified applicants, the scholarship was finally discontinued. Yet when we listened to students, they said they wanted something like our original plan.
"The difference is that college has gotten much more expensive, while the income of nudist organizations has shrunk. Students have become used to piecing together small amounts from several sources.
"Under the restored rules, you must have been a nudist for at least 20 months (since October 2015), and a member of AANR-Florida for a year (since mid-June 2016). Your parents' membership counts until you reach 18. Because few people have had
time to qualify themselves, only one scholarship of $1,500 will be offered this year. The plan is to offer two such scholarships in future.
"To get yourself qualified for next year, join AANR-Florida now. Up through age 25, it costs $15 through any AANR-Florida club, or $28 directly through the AANR office." [Editor's note: Select AANR Student Membership.]
The application includes a detailed questionnaire and requires an essay of 1,000 to 1,500 words on the topic, Have my nudist activities made me more honest, or less honest? Or is it more complicated than that? The application form, rules, and submission instructions are located at aanr-florida.org/scholarship.
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Florida free beach updates (Fort Pierce and Tampa)
Treasure Coast Naturists (TCN), mentors of Blind Creek Beach in Fort Pierce, have several fun events coming up: TCN membership drive & after-beach naturist party at a private home with pool in Jensen Beach, FL on Saturday evening, April 29; Blind Creek Beach party & contests on Sunday afternoon, May 7; and 3rd Annual Blind Creek Beach Skinny-Dip on Sunday afternoon, July 16 in conjunction with Nude Recreation Week.
TCN actively welcomes new members and donors to help care for Blind Creek Beach, including the expense of maintaining port-a-potties in the parking lot, which TCN provides (not St. Lucie County).
Meanwhile, Tampa Area Naturists (TAN) continue their organizing to obtain a clothing-optional beach in the Tampa Bay Area. TAN activists took part in a conference call on March 24 with leaders of naturist beach advocacy groups from around Florida, including South Florida Free Beaches, B.E.A.C.H.E.S. Foundation Institute, and Treasure Coast Naturists, along with Ramon Maury, TAN's lobbyist (see related article above), who also represents SFFB and AANR-Florida, to map out a statewide strategy in support of TAN's efforts. At press time, a TAN delegation was scheduled to meet on April 11 with the Mayor of Dunedin, FL to discuss the positive economic impacts of a naturist beach.
On Sunday, April 23, TAN members are getting together to enjoy Island Earth Days, a festival of music, art, and nature, at Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin, FL, the primary location being considered for a clothing-optional beach. Depending on the level of interest, TAN members and friends may take a walk down the beach and hold a meeting in the section that TAN has in mind. For questions or to RSVP, visit TAN's Facebook page for this outing.
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SFFB Board meeting canceled for April 2017
The Board of Directors of South Florida Free Beaches usually meets on the second Saturday of every month at 2:00 p.m. under the North Chickee (thatch-roofed shade structure) near Lifeguard Tower 15 on Haulover Beach unless another date and time or location is announced. The April 2017 Board meeting is canceled; the next one is scheduled for May 13. See below for the long-term schedule. Any planned exception to the second Saturday pattern is noted with an asterisk.
The meetings are open to SFFB sponsors / members, supporters, and invited guests. Prior to setting out, check the upper left-hand corner of SFFB's home page at sffb.com (under Today's Beach Reports) for any change in date, time, or location due to unavailability of Board members or in case of bad weather, when the meeting may take place indoors.
Don't miss an SFFB Board meeting — add the schedule to your calendar now!
May 13, 2017
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June 10, 2017 |
July 8, 2017
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August 12, 2017
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September 9, 2017
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October 14, 2017
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November 11, 2017
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December 9, 2017
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Food truck Tuesdays at Haulover Park
A variety of food trucks gather every Tuesday, 5-10 p.m. in Haulover Park. For more information, visit facebook.com/
Foodtruckstuesday. To see which trucks are scheduled, select the date of interest under the Events tab of the page.
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Recap of first meeting of God's Garden
by Victoria and Mike Stewart
God's Garden for Naturist Christians enjoyed their first meeting on March 26, 2017 with ten enthusiastic believers. The theme for the meeting was The Start of Early Christianity. The gathering included people with a wide variety of faith backgrounds and experiences.
God's Garden members were happy to discover that the start of early Christianity had many common traits to God's Garden — acknowledging Jesus Christ as the Lord of all Creation and how people of many Christian denominations are united in the belief of the Resurrection. The discussion centered on the Acts of the Apostles, the fifth book of the New Testament. This book provides explanation to the mystery of the Holy Spirit and how the events from biblical times are relevant to each of us in today's world. The attendees exchanged thoughts on personal experiences and opinions regarding how to have a living faith and make meaningful connections to other believers.
The contacts for God's Garden are Victoria and Mike Stewart at (954) 829-9911 or GodsGardenGroup@gmail.com. Get more info and request to join at meetup.com/Gods-Garden-for-Naturist-Christians.
[Editor's notes: Members of God's Garden are gathering for dinner on Friday evening, April 7 at 6 p.m. at the café at Sunsport Gardens Family Naturist Resort in Loxahatchee Groves, FL (near West Palm Beach) before attending the free monthly nude drum circle (see right), starting at 9 p.m.
On Sunday, April 9 at 2 p.m., Victoria and Mike are hosting a discussion in West Palm Beach around the theme, Exploring the Biblical Position on Public Nudity. A gathering with worship service is planned for Easter Sunday, April 16. Details and RSVP links are available to God's Garden members on the Meetup page referenced above.]
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Young Adult Naturists Spring Fest, Sunsport Gardens
Sunsport Gardens Family Naturist Resort in Loxahatchee Groves, FL (near West Palm Beach) co-hosts with The Tribe a special edition of its Annual Young Adult Naturists Spring Fest, Friday to Sunday, April 7-9. The theme is Full Bloom Music Medley and it features a number of live bands playing throughout the afternoon and evening on Saturday and Sunday. There are also a drum circle and black light body-painting on Friday evening, yoga, workshops, volleyball, and more.
Free tent camping and discounted or free (for first-timers) grounds fees are offered for this event to young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 and their accompanying partner. All are welcome to attend, and most of the activities are open to all Sunsport members and guests of any age. Additional information, including the schedule of bands and links to Facebook pages for some of them, and discussion among attendees are available on the Facebook event page.
Nude drum circle: As usual, there is free admission to Sunsport Gardens on the first Friday of every month from 5 p.m.* Just show up and present your government-issued photo ID at the office. The nude drum circle takes place around the bonfire from 9 p.m. to midnight. (* Friday evening visitors must depart the property by 2 a.m.) Naturally Nude Café is open for dinner, serving simple but healthy fare. Enjoy your dinner al fresco on the lanai overlooking the pool.
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New study indicates $7.4 billion annual economic impact of nude tourism and recreation in Florida
AANR-Florida published on February 7 a comprehensive report on the economic impact of nude tourism and recreation in Florida, concluding that it totals at least $7.4 billion annually. Nudist visitors' direct annual expenditures in Florida were estimated at $4.3 billion, with the remainder attributed to indirect impacts. The study was conducted by John Heather, Instructor of International Tourism and Hospitality Management in the School of Business at St. Leo University in Pasco County, FL (north of Tampa), where there is a major concentration of nudist resorts.
Ralph Collinson, immediate Past President of AANR-Florida and current AANR Member Trustee for Florida, spearheaded the commissioning of the study in 2016. In a statement for this newsletter, Ralph said, "The study was funded by a grant from the AANR Education Foundation, which was matched by AANR-Florida. The results will further naturism in Florida and have already been used to develop a grant request from VISIT FLORIDA® to develop an EMagazine for clothing-optional recreation in Florida.
"This clearly shows," Ralph continued, "that nude tourism is a key player in Florida's overall tourism economy. What is even more surprising is that this has been accomplished without any formal support form state or local governments. It has been done by local entrepreneurs who tend to hire and spend locally and has had a significant impact in more rural communities outside of the mainstream tourist hotspots of Orlando, Miami, and Tampa."
The study is also being cited in presentations to North Pasco County tourism officials and to other officials in connection with the efforts of Tampa Area Naturists (TAN) to obtain
a clothing-optional beach in the Tampa Bay Area. (See related article above.) Naturist leaders from around Florida are impressed with the overall findings of this study and its potential to influence the tourism industry and government entities with an interest in promoting tourism to take the naturist segment seriously. Officials of South Florida Free Beaches and B.E.A.C.H.E.S. Foundation Institute have pointed out, however, that its figures for Haulover Beach, which is their bailiwick, appear significantly understated in their estimation.
The study attributes a total of more than $720 million to Haulover Beach, whereas the most recent calculation by B.E.A.C.H.E.S. (prepared in August 2014, based on 2013 statistics) puts the total economic impact of Haulover Beach nearly twice as high, at more than $1.4 billion.
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Registration open for GNI annual men's nude Gathering
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Trae Crowder, live at the GNI Gathering!
Do you enjoy the iconoclastic, down-home, political and social humor of comic and Internet sensation Trae Crowder, "The Liberal Redneck?" If so, see him live in concert on Sunday evening, August 20, 2017, exclusively at the GNI Gathering! Trae tells you about it in this brief video clip.
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Gay Naturists International (GNI) has opened registration for its 32nd Annual International Gathering of Male Naturists. The Gathering takes place August 18-27, 2017 in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Shorter attendance options are available. The location is about an hour-and-a-half's drive west of New York City, and GNI provides optional bus transportation from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Midtown Manhattan.
Hundreds of men come together at The Gathering for up to ten days of naked fun, camaraderie, education, and relaxation in a beautiful, rustic but comfortable setting with a lake; two heated pools; gym and courts for tennis, volleyball, and other sports; wooded trails; and rolling, manicured grounds. Early registration (by April 30) can save you up to $100, depending on the length of stay for which you register.
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Keep checking the free app for Gathering program updates!
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The registration fee covers housing in dormitory-style cabins (camping optional; RVs welcome, but utility hookups are not available), all meals, snacks, and beverages (including beer and wine), and events, activities, and entertainment (except the optional Body Electric massage weekend workshop and add-on excursions, which require additional fees). Regular programming includes seminars and workshops, sports instruction and tournaments, massage and yoga, contests, shows, parties, bonfires, a nightly, naked Dance Club with live DJs and fantastic sound and lights, and much more! The Gathering is open to men aged 21 or over, regardless of orientation. Get info and register.
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