If you've been to the Macks Creek area of Lake of the Ozarks, you know it's usually pretty quiet.
So why are thousands of tourists visiting this "quiet corner" of the Lake of the Ozarks this week?
Say hello to the "Gathering of the Juggalos."
An annual four-day music festival for fans of the "Horrorcore" rap duo Insane Clown Posse (ICP), the event brings members of this subculture together to participate in open-air camping, a variety of community events, wrestling, and music.
According to many online sources, Juggalo culture is centered on radical acceptance and creating a family among those who consider themselves outcasts.
There is even some internal discussion from people within this subculture of a "Unique Moral Mythology" known as the "Dark Carnival."
Reports from past Juggalo events describe some allegedly violent, vulgar, and potentially illegal activities such as — allegedly — throwing bottles, feces, and more at performers for playing poorly (CBS News); destroying and hurling portable toilets at individuals; the infamous "Trash War" or "Trash Fight" where miscellaneous objects are thrown in massive crowds and sometimes lead to serious injuries.
One event resulted in an infamous attempted murder charge, in which two individuals allegedly tried to carve a tattoo out of their housemate's arm for "disrespecting" ICP (The Guardian).
Already at the Macks Creek event, allegedly a man going by the name of "Bluntman," who had reportedly boasted online for supplying the festival with marijuana for 20 years, has been arrested by Camden County and is charged with possession of a large quantity of marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms.
Regardless of the history and descriptions they might be given by others — or the internal truth of what attendees desire from the Gathering itself — law enforcement has made it very clear that they've had this event on their calendar for a while now.
As people headed toward the campground for the event, or simply traveled through the area to see The Whistle Creek, they were greeted by several Fire Department vehicles, Missouri State Highway Patrol, and Missouri Conservation personnel stationed near the end of State Road U.
LakeExpo had the chance to speak with Southwest Camden County Fire Chief John Scheper about the precautions local fire departments and law enforcement have been taking ahead of the event.
We asked Scheper whether there were any current rumors, threats or specific concerns prompting the increased emergency presence in the area.
“We’ve been planning this — as far as the fire department’s response, and law enforcement — for months,” Scheper said. “I don’t see it as any different from Bike Fest or Shootout. It’s a large event that brings a lot of people for four or five days.”
Scheper said event organizers had previously anticipated several thousand people attending.
“I haven’t talked to the event management recently, but they had anticipated between four and five thousand by the time it’s all said and done,” he said.
What About Rumors Of 10,000 People?
Lake Expo also asked Scheper about rumors that attendance could reach as high as 10,000 people.
“No, not here,” Scheper said. “Now, I know that was a rumor going around for a while, that they were going to sell like nine or ten thousand tickets, but they will probably have half of that.”
Should People Avoid The Area?
Finally, we asked Scheper whether he had any message for the public — particularly people considering coming to the area simply to see what is happening.
“Well, we have a lot of, you know, people not affiliated with the event that are coming down to just see the circus,” Scheper said. “These roads aren’t made for a lot of traffic, so if they would just be careful about coming down here.”
(When asked what he meant by “the circus,” Scheper laughed and clarified that he meant it figuratively.)
An assistant of the Southwest Camden County Fire District added, "That whole campground up there is entirely covered. They're from all over. I've seen license plates from Alaska, Florida- you name it. - Someone said someone flew in from France to be here. - That's pretty crazy."
For More Info, Visit LakeExpo.com
So the little ole' town of Macks Creek, Mo. is truly hosting people from across the world for the "Gathering of the Juggalos" this weekend.
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