Heartland Pagan Festival

Important Information

Information Locations

Whenever you need help for any reason or need information, you can go to one of three locations: Phoenix Hall (Registration), the H.S.A. booth in the Mystical Merchants Circle, or at Safety (next to the Pavilion). For general festival questions, we prefer you go to Registration or the H.S.A. booth. At these two locations you can purchase raffle tickets, see a large map of camp, see notices of schedule changes, announcements, lost & found, as well as other useful information.

Registration hours are: Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9:00a to 9:00p, and on Sunday from 9:00a to 5:00p. NO exceptions. No one will be allowed in the gates after 6:00p Sunday night unless you are already registered and have a wristband on. You must leave by 5:00p on Monday or be subject to Gaea Retreat Center fees.

Gate Hours

The gate is open from 9:00a to Midnight, Thursday — Sunday and shall be locked
after 12am during HPF. Should an emergency require you to leave the Festival
after gate hours you should contact Safety next to the Pavilion or locate an
HSA member for assistance.
Community Service

Community Service is requiring that all attendees from the ages of 18-60 put in 2 hours of service while at the Festival. This service will not only help the Festival run more smoothly, but introduce you to many new people all at the same time.

Parking

The facility we use does not allow any vehicles to park on the land, except in designated areas. Attendees must park in the designated parking area and leave their vehicle parked for the duration of the festival. Driving is restricted to those arriving and leaving the festival grounds.

Parking staff will direct vehicles as they enter the site. If your vehicle is parked outside the designated parking areas, it may be subject to towing. You are responsible for all fees associated with towing.

Safety

The Safety staff are here to help ensure you have a relaxed and spiritually rewarding holiday weekend. They are stationed around the camp and available 24 hours a day, ready to assist with everything from helping lost parents find their children to their qualified medical personnel assisting with emergency situations. If for some reason you can’t find someone from Safety, have a staff member with a radio contact them and they will be with you shortly. In the event of emergency where you would need to contact H.S.A. staff during the festival, please call 816-813-8167, which rings the Heartland Cell Phone.
First Aid First aid is located in a highly visible and easily accessible spot next to the Pavilion. The first aid staff is equipped to handle emergency situations, and if necessary, call for transport to the nearest hospital. Qualified medical personnel are on duty 24 hours a day throughout the festival.
Heartland Spiritual Alliance does not assume responsibility for individual personal routine health care needs or medications, which must be met daily by festival attendees. Festival attendees remain solely responsible for their own health and safe behavior during the festival.

For those people who are utilizing marine batteries as a source of electricity for CPAP machines, you can recharge those at the Safety facility for a charge of $5.00. No generators are allowed in the camping areas. You can use generators in the parking area, if they are attended at all times.

Wristbands

You shall be issued a wristband at registration that must remain
on your wrist for the duration of the festival. If it breaks, bring it to
Registration so we can issue a replacement. Wearing your wristband at all
times is absolutely mandatory. No loose bands. Not attached to you? Off to
Registration you go!!

FRS/GMRS Radios

If you are using a FRS/GMRS radio to keep track of your loved ones around
camp, we applaud you. However, we have to reserve a certain number of
channels for our own workers so that we can communicate tasks efficiently and
keep everyone safe. So, please do NOT use Channels 15through 20 for chatting
or tracking down your children. These are for use by our Staff ONLY. If you
choose to monitor one of these stations, please be kind and DO NOT TRANSMIT.
In the event of an emergency we need to be able to communicate effectively. It
is important for your safety and the safety of others around you.

Disabled Attendees

Heartland Pagan Festival makes reasonable efforts to support those with special needs in every effort to be friendly and accomodating with the Americans with Disabilities Act. A red wristband will be given to those people with physical limitations or health problems so that we can help when possible with your needs. Those people will receive priority on the shuttles. Also, this helps Safety be aware that you have a pre-existing condition should you need medical attention.

Shuttle

HSA provides a Shuttle vehicle for those with mobility concerns. Those with RED wrist bands shall receive priority on all seating and Shuttle runs. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Hours of operation and schedules will be available at the Festival.

Community Fires and Firewood

Campfires are permitted only in designated previously existing fire pits. Under no circumstances may you construct or dig your own fire pit in any other location. However, you can use a portable fire ring or your own grill. Please provide for your own firewood. You may not cut down any tree or any portion of a standing tree (dead or alive). All firewood supplied by Heartland Spiritual Alliance is only for the use of H.S.A. operated community fires and the Bardic Area in the Merchant Circle.

Recycling and Trash

Ahoy Maties! HPF recycles aluminum, plastic, and glass. We collect aluminum
and plastic together, but collect glass separate for safety reasons. Trash barrels are also provided so please be courteous to our Trash Pirates and please separate your recyclables and place only proper items in the recycling barrels. Barrels are placed throughout camp and labeled for your convenience. Please have all trash bagged and closed. Trash is collected twice daily by our Trash Pirates, but you may also dispose of garbage in the dumpsters located near Memorial Grove. We ask that you put your trash out daily, rather than holding until the end of Festival. This makes for smoother oyages for our Trash Pirates! Arrrggghhh! Oh, and new this year…We'll be collecting all gently used camping items (resalable items only please!) that would normally be thrown away and donating them to a local non-profit!

Remember Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and "Leave No Trace"!


Toilets and Bathhouse

Port-O-Potties and hand washing stations are located throughout the venue. The shower house is unisex. There are two small private showers, one of which is somewhat handicapped accessible. The changing area and shower area is fairly open.

New this year, we will only close the shower house will from 10 AM - 11AM completly. From 11-Noon, you may experience slight interuptions as we complete the cleaning process. Additionally, between the hours of 4:00p to 6:00p you WILL experience short times where certain areas are closed for cleaning. For example, we may close the shower area for 15-20 minutes to clean and disinfect it, and then then or crew will move to the toilets or sinks. Please help us make this transition work for you.

Pets

All animals must be in an animal carrier or on a leash at all times. If your animal is found not on a leash, you will be instructed to leash it. If the problem happens again, you will be asked to remove the animal from the festival. Clean up after your pet, and dispose of waste in the dumpster. If your pet becomes a problem you may be asked to remove the animal from the festival. Animals are NOT allowed in the bathhouse.

Silent Auction

The silent auction raises money for Heartland Spiritual Alliance and will be open from 11:00a to 5:00p, Thursday—Saturday, and from 11:00a to 4:00p on Sunday. Winning bidders are announced at 5:00p on Sunday at the tent. Pay for and pick up won items at the Silent Auction tent between 5:00p and 8:00p Sunday. Credit cards will be accepted.

Pagan Radio

Once again, we will be broadcasting our version of Pagan Radio. Pagan Radio will be used to play great music, both Pagan and mundane, announce workshops or safety issues, and air interviews with our guest speakers and other performers. So, be sure to tune in your battery-operated FM radios to 91.1FM and listen, enjoy and keep informed.

Swimming

Gaea Retreat Center includes a 12 acre lake with a sand beach for swimming access. H.S.A. does not provide lifeguards, so swimming is “at your own risk”, and NO ONE under the age of 16 may swim without the supervision of an adult. Please be extremely cautious around the lake area. There must also be an adult in all boats going out on the lake.

Dance and Drum Etiquette

The dancers’ circle around the nightly community fire is for moving dancers only. There are benches around the perimeter of the dance circle for observers. The drummers’ area is located on the south side of the dance circle, and is reserved for drummers only. A lead drummer “on duty” will lead the heartbeat each night, so please be respectful while everyone shares their sacred heartbeat in this area.

Vision Quest

The Vision Quest will begin Saturday evening. As always, the trail is a challenging hike, even in the daylight, so be prepared with good walking/hiking shoes and a flashlight (both are required). Also, for safety reasons, only those 18 years of age or older will be allowed into the Vision Quest, and any visibly intoxicated people will be turned away. Please come out for an intense, transformative, spiritual journey through the wilds of Gaea Retreat Center.

Departure

If you are leaving the property prior to Monday, and do not plan to return, please check out at Registration. If an emergency situation occurs, we do not want to have to search for people who are no longer on property. Thank you for helping us use our resources appropriately. The Closing Ritual is held at the Main Ritual Circle Monday at noon. You should plan on having your area cleaned up, bagging and taking all trash to designated areas, and leaving by 6:00p on Monday. If you plan on camping Monday evening, you will be subject to Gaea Retreat Center fees.