Today (or yesterday, I guess – Monday Aug 29) I went out to run a few errands around town. It didn’t really occur to me to be on the lookout for hippies and gypsies. But our favorite guests are back in town again and I didn’t even think to notice it was time for them yet.
For background, I live in Reno, Nevada. We are the closest REALLY BIG city to the dried lakebed in the middle of the desert where “Burning Man” occurs every year.
Burning man is a long tradition of the Northern California Hippies and newer generations of young open-minded kids. I’ve never been but I would love to go sometime. They get together in the middle of the desert, owned by the US Bureau of Land Management, as much of Nevada is. The BLM has some tough requirements for them. And the attendees are very good conservationist liberals so they all respect the rules. But they do run around in funniy outfits or no outfits at all. Boys in Tutus? Girls in Speedo’s? Yup. Many just ride their bicycles around naked. And the drugs are a-plenty. Oh to be young again. I used to be invited to come along every year when I lived in Northern California. I really wish, now, that I had taken them up on it.
Anyhoo, I didn’t realize it was all starting up today and I went out to run some errands. One of them was to drop by the Wal-Mart and pick up a few items, since it was nearby to my other tasks. When I got there, I was shocked at how busy the parking lot was. There were at least 20, maybe 30 RV’s and many rental trucks, vans, flatbed trucks, everything.
I went in wondering just what’s going on. When I got inside I realized. Gypsies and hippies everywhere. Scantily clad ladies – and hot, lightly-clothed men that haven’t shaved in days. So hot. And all just floating around so happily.
This is when I realized that Burning Man must be starting up today. They were stopping in to buy some additional supplies before going over the hill and down the long dirt road to get to their destination. Most of them already had their plans all set and had bought most of their stuff for meals and such, as they tend to plan these as shared community meals and each individual is only responsible for one meal (for a large group) out of the week and a half, if they’re in big enough a group.
This Burning Man thing is not just a small event anymore. something like 40,000 people go each year now and probably double that number wish to go but can’t. There are restrictions on how many are allowed by the BLM. So it’s gotten expensive (like $300 per person bought directly. Scalped tickets go for $1500+ once those sell out.) People from all around the world fly in now to attend this event. It is now Reno/Tahoe Airport’s busiest time of year, just accommodating all of the “Burners.” Local casinos market to them to spend a day or two either before or after their venture into the desert. Many take them up on it and it’s great for business.
Back to the Wal-Mart experience, though. I only needed a few items: French Bread, Bananas, Limes, V-8 Juice, Tonic Water, Gin and Beer. Produce Department and bakery, no problem. Most of the other stuff, no problem. But then I get to the liquor department for the Gin. Nothing. Normally that 50 yard aisle has many thousands of bottles of liquor but today, basically – nothing. 95% of everything I would normally see was raided. Gone. They had some beer, but not the brand I wanted to buy. And so I checked the next aisle where they keep the wine. Almost all gone and a guy from the wine distributor desperately trying to restock it with no luck. The gypsies just kept taking it all as fast as he put it out. Apparently the beer distributor had this figured out (as they should) and they had guys re-building the pyramids of (warm) beer in the aises as fast as people loaded into their carts.
It seems insane but if you’re gonna party in the middle of the desert for a week and a half, unable to leave, you need alot of party favors – of various varieties – and it’s alot less expensive buying your alcohol in Nevada than in California, where most of the Burners come from.
However, I heard a few different European languages being spoken amongst the shoppers at Wal-Mart today. They really do come from everywhere. I felt sorry for them not finding their preferred liquors in the liquor department and thought about telling them where else to go to buy them. But I realized that’s more trouble than it’s worth. Giving directions to out-of the-way liquor stores is a bit much when dealing with foreigners.
When I got to the check-out stand, I asked the cashier how her day has been serving the Burners. She said it’s been great, but she’s had some strange ones. Just before me, there was a guy buying nothing but beer, wine and liquor – $1400 worth. That’s it.
Wow. Just wow.
Seriously though. Reno/Sparks/Tahoe just loves our “Burners” every year. They rent up all of our RV’s and travel trailers. They buy thousands of bicycles for their desert visit, and many donate them back to charity at the end of their stay. They buy all of our bottled water. They buy millions of dollars in liquor, wine and beer. And many of them stop in for the big national rib cook-off competition and stay in a hotel/casino for a day or two surrounding their trip. Our airport is jam-packed and many extra flights are added to accommodate them. Who could ask for more?
Burning Man is awesome for the economy and also for the event itself.
By the way, I had to go to my little neighborhood grocery store in order to buy my Gin and Tonic, as there was none of either left at Wal-Mart.
