Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

A resident of Cheyenne, Wyoming, has been sentenced to a year of probation for having marijuana and other drugs on the Allegheny National Forest during last summer's Rainbow Gathering. 23-year-old Richard James Arnold has also been ordered to pay a $3,000 fine. He pleaded guilty to having marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms and DMT on July 1 during the gathering that was held in the Queen Creek area in southern Warren County.

A man arrested during a visit to the Rainbow Gathering in the Allegheny National Forest in June has been sentenced to four months in federal prison for drug possession. 33-year-old Adam Zagger of Lakewood, Ohio, had what the US Attorney’s office calls a “veritable pharmacy of drugs” in a school bus that he converted into a camper. Specifically, he had marijuana, LSD, hashish, and methamphetamine. He pleaded guilty to the charges in September. Zagger must also serve one year of supervised release after being released from prison, and must pay a $10,000 fine.

Besides the interception of a large shipment of marijuana that was on its way to the Rainbow Family gathering, officials say there weren’t any major problems among the 900 incidents they dealt with. The Rainbows have started heading home, although about 100 of them are staying behind to clean up the area of the Allegheny National Forest where they gathered. Forest Service officials say that between the end of June and Tuesday about half of the incidents were drug-related and one-third were traffic-related. Some of the citations issued were for public nudity. Officials say nudity isn’t a problem in the middle of the forest, but it is a concern when people are nude along roads or closer to the general public. For many more pictures of the Rainbow Gathering, go to Allegheny Outdoor Adventures . Photos courtesy of John Stoneman

A Missouri man is accused of trying to smuggle five pounds of marijuana into the Rainbow Family gathering near Hearts Content in the Allegheny National Forest. The US Forest Service says 37-year-old Bruce Runion Jr. was arrested Tuesday after a joint investigation they conducted with the Warren County Drug Task Force. Runion is charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, criminal conspiracy and 11 counts of criminal use of a communications facility, for using UPS to ship the pot from California.

The Allegheny National Forest was selected by the Rainbow Family as the location for their 2010 national gathering and, since ince this announcement, the forest has joined forces with a National Incident Management Team (NIMT) to manage the event. The primary concern for the gathering is the health and safety of area residents, forest employees, and Rainbow Family gathering attendees. “This team, working in partnership with the Forest, will help ensure a safe and successful gathering for all parties involved,” stated Forest Supervisor Leanne Marten. “We realize the impacts to the communities and services resulting from a gathering of this size and we will strive for positive outcomes from this event,” added Marten. The Rainbow Family is a loose-knit group of people from diverse backgrounds who gather annually on a national forest for a celebration of peace during the July 4th holiday, when the gathering reaches peak attendance of up to 10,000 people. Following the holiday, the attend...

For the third time since 1972, the national Rainbow Gathering will be held in the Allegheny National Forest. More than 15,000 people are expected to be in the forest from July 1-7. They haven’t decided yet exactly where they will gather. The gathering was held in Allegheny National Forest in 1986 and 1999. In 1999, they stayed in the Marienville area. In 1986, they were closer to Warren. The Rainbow Gathering of Living Light is a freeform celebration of Spirit and community that is open to all peaceful peoples and devoid from commercial interests, according to their website. http://welcomehere.org/gathering_of_the_tribes/annual/?Welcome