What you need to know!!!

Alright! So you’ve got your membership (if not it is too late we are sold out) , your theme camp is ready, and your workshop is planned. Thinking about packing up the car, but ... do you have everything? Have you thought about your kitchen donation?

Please read this page to the bottom and make sure you KNOW what YOU need to KNOW!!!

:: GATE HOURS! ::

The Front Gate is ONLY open during specific hours. To avoid being left out in the cold, make sure you plan your departure and drive accordingly. This year, our gate will be open:
If you arrive outside of these hours, including arriving before gate hours on Monday, WILL result in you waiting outside the gathering with your car until the gate opens. Time your trip wisely so that you don't have to sleep in your car! However, if you are one of the unfortunate people who does miss the gate hours, PLEASE do not tent on the roads, in order to avoid the unnecessary attention of our neighbouring community...

The gate will be open...
Monday June, 20th - 12pm – 9pm
Tuesday June, 21st - 12pm – 9pm
Wednesday June, 22nd - 12pm – 9pm
Thursday June, 23rd - 12pm – 9pm
Friday June, 24th - 12pm – 12am
Saturday June, 25th - 12pm – 4pm

We will be selling Om Reunion Project t-shirts ... from the past, AND the NEW beautiful re:generate shirts @ the gate! bring your $$

ARE YOU PREPARED? RAIN OR SHINE!
Remember that this is a week-long outdoor camping event. You are responsible to bring all your own camping supplies that you will need to be comfortable for the week, including food for the community kitchen (please read the kitchen section) , eating utensils, a refillable water bottle, a waterproof tent, a small tarp and rope for your camp site, camping chairs, warm clothes and sleeping gear, rain gear, rubber boots, non-toxic bug spray, flashlights, extra batteries, swim gear and towel, party supplies and costumes etc. etc.

While the kitchen aims to keep us full by serving 3 free vegan meals a day, you know your body, so be sure to bring extra food to keep at your tent to snack on.

Also, please don't forget any medications you may need.

LEAVE NO TRACE!
Leave no trace is how we roll. Thank you to everybody who understands and follows through on this responsibility. Strings strangle trees. We need to untie every string and pick up every glitter. If we can’t clean it up, better not bring it. Do not lay your garbage on the kind volunteers of Long Crew. Pack it in, pack it out! Keep the land as clean, natural and beautiful as it was when we arrived. Let’s not take advantage of all that we are blessed with. We know that we can do better than last year. Let’s show our generous land owners that we are serious in our convictions. Please plan your activities and camps with this in mind. Make sure to bring your own garbage and recycling bags and extras to share. Smoker? Think about where you are going to put your cigarette butts!

PEACE, LOVE, UNITY & RESPECT (P.L.U.R)
Every member is expected to conduct themselves with honor, respect, compassion and in a responsible manner while at the festival. We are here to have fun, but let that not be at the cost of someone else's enjoyment. Any kind of violence or abuse (physical, sexual, verbal or emotional) will not be tolerated, and members will be asked to leave if their actions are deemed inappropriate by the festival organizers. Please party responsibly. Thank you :)

GIFTING NOT VENDING
Gifting, not vending, is encouraged at the Om Reunion Project. Feel free to share your art, food, homemade goodies or whatever delights you with your friends and fellow members. Gifting freely without expectations not only surprises but it feels great! It’s not that we are against commerce, but there are many other festivals and parties where you can sell your goods. This is not the environment for customers and retailers. While at ORP, gifting freely creates a magical moneyless atmosphere. Get creative! Leave selling, buying and vending for other events. If fellow members are vending, please remind them that this is a non-vending event. Enjoy the freedom and the genuine connections created and pass it on!

DRINKING WATER
We are sourcing water from a wonderful spring, but let us not weigh too heavily on this gift of the earth. Please bring a good amount of your own water. It is always good to have water at your camp: extra water is always appreciated by you or someone else.

HARM REDUCTION & SAFER SEX
Please remember to be safe! Be sure to review the TRIP website as it provides a wealth of essential information for the party community. http://www.tripproject.ca/trip/

EVERYONE VOLUNTEERS!
This is a community run gathering, it is all of you (and you and me and us and you) who attend, that make it happen and make it awesome. Everyone doing a small part makes something massive happen. Many hands make light work! The more the merrier... And so we ask that you contribute 5 hours of your festival time to a volunteer shift of your choice. Upon your arrival at the gate you are enlisted into the volunteer team of your choosing and given a scheduled shift in one of the following areas:

Gate - the first stop we all take at the gathering, this area covers welcoming members arriving on:site and helping the process of check-in and orientation. As well as reminding people to LEAVE NO TRACE! Volunteers will meet at the Gate at the start of their shift. Come prepared for the elements (sun, rain, wind..plague of locusts...we’ve seen it all!)

Logistics - the gatherings literal backbone; this crew builds and maintains the structures of the gathering from domes and stages to the essential kybos (outhouses), as well as land maintenance. Volunteers will meet in The Office and await instruction from their team leader! Come prepared to lift, carry, dig or climb...if you like that sorta thing...

Kitchen - all aspects of mass meal preparation from washing and chopping to stirring and serving, kitchen upkeep and washing dishes. Volunteers will meet in the (you guessed it) Kitchen at the start of their shift. The kitchen is located at the end of Sugar Bush road, just past the bridge. Sing-a-longs have been known to erupt in the kitchen. Passable singing voice is not required.

Health and Safety - promoting and protecting the well-being of our cOMmunity by patrolling the festival in pairs and working with Coordinators and Emergency Medical Responders (EMR's). Anyone with some health, mental health, first-aid or crisis de-escalation training is welcome to volunteer. Volunteers sign-up at the gate and start their shift at the Heath and Safety tent, located just past the kitchen, by using the first aid walkie-talkie to say they have arrived. All volunteers are encouraged to attend our crisis de-escalation workshop before their shift, held Wednesday through Saturday at 12 noon. Returning volunteers are encouraged to email us at safetyfirst@omreunionproject.org to find out about becoming Shift Coordinators. All of our volunteers should be prepared to provide non-judgmental care and support to our members and count on getting sidetracked for hours of conversation and gourmet camp food when stopping by the EMR’s!

Stages Crew - building, prepping and deco-ing the stages. Members wanting to volunteer to build the stages should have experience in party set-up and tear down, construction, deco and/or gear knowledge and experience. Stage volunteers will meet at Homebass at the beginning of their shift. as well we will have stage managers working while stages are running (Tuesday night and all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. keeping the stages managed and running during music times. This schedule has been filled in already (you can remind people of their shifts with the schedule provided). People volunteering for stage management are generally our dj's, vj's or musicians and will be in charge of the running and security of the stages during party times. Volunteers will meet at their scheduled stage at the start of their shift.

PROTECTING YOUR OWN HEALTH AT THE FESTIVAL

Hydration
From the words of the freelance nutritionist, professional speaker, and adventure Chris Fenn on the website http://www.timeoutdoors.com:
Water as a Cooling Mechanism - Water has plenty of important functions in the body, but its role in temperature regulation. Cooling of the body is achieved through the evaporation of sweat from the surface of the skin. However, the loss of large amounts of sweat can result in dehydration.
Drinking strategy - Aim to drink before you set off for your day of activity, especially in hot weather. Thirst is a poor indicator of fluid requirements. By the time you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Aim to drink 150-200ml every 10-15 minutes during strenuous activity in the heat. In very hot conditions you may not be able to keep pace with your fluid losses. Headaches, stomach cramps, digestive problems, side aches, diarrhea and nausea can all be related to simply not drinking enough during exercise in hot weather.
Sun Protection
Every year festival people spend time sun-burnt and/or suffering from sun-stroke, because they didn’t keep their head about them regarding sun protection. It’s a nasty way to spend the gathering: sick in your tent or worse – sent to the hospital. PLEASE remember the sun's rays are strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and keep these things in mind to help you avoid having an experience similar to the ones mentioned above:
• Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 15.
• Reapply sunscreen every 2 hours, even on cloudy days.
• Wear protective, tightly woven clothing, such as a long-sleeved shirt and pants.
• Wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.
• Stay in the shade whenever possible.
• Protect children. Minimize sun exposure and apply sunscreen to children aged 6 months and older.
• No shadow...seek the shade! If your shadow is shorter than you are, you're likely to sunburn.
Food Allergies and Special Diets
Diet
Please take extra precautions if you have specific dietary requirements. The Community Kitchen is vegan and all meals are prepared communally. Special meal requests cannot be accommodated. If you have specific dietary requirements, you may wish to bring food that is just for you.
Medication
If you need them, please bring them and take them! Sometimes the irregular schedule and environment of the festival, coupled with diet changes (eating vegan at the kind kitchen), can cause people to forget to take their prescription medications. So please take extra care to remember and remind your friends too.

Kitchen update
:: WHAT TO BRING TO THE KITCHEN! ::

Together, we will feed the masses! Our deliciously amazing communal vegan Kitchen relies on donations. We ask that you bring about $15-30 of food to share. Meals are served 2 times a day. This year we'll be serving a long breakfast and lunch put together, but we couldn't think of a name for it. hmmm and mmmmm! The goal then is for an earlier dinner serving time. Of course the kitchen will always be open to you to come in and make snacks.

A full list of suggested awesome foods the kitchen needs can be found towards the end of the KITCHEN page on the website. While we completely appreciate your generosity (THANK YOU!), we ask that you refrain from donating any animal-derived products, eggs, dairy, soy or nut-containing products to the Kitchen.

A great way to support the lands local economy and ensure minimal environmental footprint is to buy produce on the way up, from road side farmers markets and carts. It's usually yummier too! even though we've had a longer, wetter spring, local lettuces should be coming out by now, as should strawberries just be making their way into the mouths of many.

Ben, one of our Kitchen Coordinators suggests - "mainly fresh veggies, and fruit (preferably local and organic). It's probably going to be hot, so lots of salads and fruit will keep us cool. Bring carrots, various cabbages, and all things green (kale, broccoli, arugula, lettuces, etc). Some fresh herbs like basil, oregano and thyme would be awesome to make our dishes extra tasty; fresh mint would be nice for flavouring water and teas. If you are planning to bring grains, please bring the best quality that you can get, i.e. brown rice not white rice; quinoa, barley, wheat berries, etc. We should be OK for oats though… If you would like to donate bread, think whole grain bread, and preferably a no yeast sourdough. Nori seaweed is a great thing to wrap around a salad or grains for a quick, nourishing snack. Arame or Wakame are other seaweeds which are great for salads: seaweeds are high in minerals which will also help keep us cool and replenish the minerals we'll all be sweating out… Try not to bring things with white sugar e.g. like if you wanted to bring jam, maybe bring apple butter instead; maple syrup is always welcome. We are looking forward to making meals that will help to bring our energies up and allow us to burst forth with the Solstice!"

if anyone is feeling industrious in these last moments, we're a little short on aprons this year, if you want to donate one from your cupboard please do. even better, if anyone is feeling up to making one out of some funky old clothes, you'll definitely get some kitchen kickbacks!

The Tea Tent always appreciates your donation of teas and natural sweeteners.

Although our Kitchen aims to keep us happy and full, we remind you that you know your body and what it needs, so bring any extra things you can keep at your tent to snack on. There will also be hot water for drinks, oatmeals and dried soup/noodles.

And don't forget to pack a wash-rag and dishes/cutlery, you'll feel silly if you have to eat out of your shoe!