GrokFest NH 2022 Trip Report

We recently held our first GrokFest NH. By all reports, it was a rousing success. Seems like everyone had a great time.

We “opened the doors” at noon on Friday. The first people started showing up around 1pm (That’s noon, adjusted for Anarchist Standard Time). The first activity was a UTV Fun Hunt, where people, equipped with water guns, sat in the back of the UTV and we drove them around the property so they could shoot helium balloons with names like Nancy Pelosi, Sandy Cortez, and the turtle himself, Mitch McConnell.

Camp Store and Cafe was open all day, fully stocked with delicious baked goods, and wide variety of teas and coffees, basic camping necessities, and of course, the souvenir mugs.

Everyone loved them!

In addition to the cash bar, Cynthia had appetizers for happy hour. Yum.

Dinner was homemade chicken-and-10-vegetable soup, carrot-ginger-harissa soup, and strawberry rhubarb crisp for dessert, everything fresh, local, homemade. As many ingredients from our farm as possible.

All during the day, people were out playing horseshoes and cornhole by the fire pit. And kids were running around and climbing a large pile of wood chips. Having so many kids there was an unexpected treat for me. It was awesome hearing the screams and just seeing the youngsters having a good time. I would imagine that all of the kids ware homeschooled, so they got along, regardless of age, and not a single tablet or phone in sight.

Happy hour around 5:30 where we opened the bar and turned on some music. Some people were making camp chairs in the Maker Hut. Others were getting the fire pit lit. And the cigars and other smokies came out. I didn’t see a single cigarette.

Around 9pm, the fire was going strong and we fired up the speakers with “not-gay music”. This, of course, being a reference to “Buzz’s Big Gay Dance Party” at Porcfest, which was a blast, but not necessarily for the youngsters.

We had a few takers of the “Luxury Shower”, which is the guest bathroom in our house. There were two people signed up for the “Prison Shower”, but I didn’t witness anyone using it, so who knows!

People mingled around the Club Conspiracy bar and the fire pit. Over the evening, people retired to their campsites, with the hard-core only leaving the fire pit once all the firewood was gone, a little after midnight.

Morning saw coffee and tea with people talking about the previous day’s activities. A gun class was scheduled for mid-morning. Six shooters worked on their pistol skills with Jake. Great reports from all who participated.

The biggest event was the foraging class. Some people came just for the foraging class without camping out. Cynthia led about 40 people around the property, pointing out wild plants that could be incorporated into food, tinctures, or soap.

For dinner, Cynthia brought out delicious quiche made with many of the plants and flowers found on the property. Eggs from our chickens, of course.

Another happy hour with music and a fire in the fire pit closed out the day.

On Sunday, people met for breakfast, scrambled eggs and cut-oat porridge.

We closed out the event with a “Conspiracy Congregation” where we talked about what worked and what didn’t, and thoughts about future events.

Everyone broke camp and headed to their mom’s house for Mother’s Day.

All during the event, the camp store was open, with all kinds of goodies and swag available. We had coffee mugs customized for each of the three camp areas, “Area 51”, “Bohemian Grove”, and “FEMA Camp 33”. The cookies were a big hit with the kids, of course, but everyone seemed to imbibe.