The Two Howdys

Stephen R. Johgart (sjohgart@igc.apc.org)
Thu, 18 Jun 1992 19:46:26 -0700 (PDT)

I just got two calls ten minutes apart from folks who had received both the
Colorado and South Dakota Howdy Folks, both wanting to know what the heck is
going on, since the South Dakota mailing was clearly the official one, and the
Colorado mailing appeared to be the ego-trip-fantasy of some dude named W
Wanderer. Although I tried to explain the whole situation, it wasn't easy, since
the South Dakota Howdy Folks is really beautiful, much work and love clearly hav
having gone into it, and it's hard to deny that the Colorado Howdy Folks doesn't
come off as the effort of a Family Circle which has its act together--it's
clearly written by one person who dashed it off fast on a Mac (I can tell from
the Chicago font), and it does come across as major ego tripping, a la Zeus in
the early South Dakota mailings (although much more loving and cooperative than
Zeus to be sure, and *much* more brief). I'll bet anything that folks getting
both Howdy Folks without knowing the background are at this moment changing
their plans, and are looking at their South Dakota maps.

I apologize for the negativity; one of the highlights of any year is receiving
the beautiful poetry and art which make up a Howdy Folks; I was surprised to
find it coming from South Dakota (or from North Carolina, actually, oddly, but
announcing South Dakota). Unless some major changes come about at the picnic
Saturday, I'm still headed to Colorado, though, and I know it will be a
tremendous Gathering, since I've been following the whole scene and am aware
of all the love that's gone into the planning.

See you there, love you all!

Gonzo

P.S. Said picnic is at Gallup Park, Ann Arbor, Michigan, June 20, Rainbow Noon

Back to the Top Level: