The Field Gathering needs your help
Donation protected
Dearest friends and family of The Field,
We hope this finds you well. As summer festival season quickly approaches, the absence of The Field Gathering becomes more apparent to us. For the last 5 {or 6} years this time has been full of tasks and meetings, communications and promotions, planning and organizing for one of our favourite occasions... welcoming you to The White Crow Farm for another edition of The Field. As many of you know, The Field is not happening this year, and at it's home, the White Crow farm, will likely never happen again....
Most aren't aware of the events that occurred leading up to last year's gathering. An unfortunate situation arose less than a week before people were to begin arriving on the land and start setting up for the festival. A neighbour a couple of miles down river from us made it his mission to shut us down. He claimed we were a nuisance to him, detrimental to his health and to his ability to enjoy his life on his land. We offered him an expenses payed vacation during the duration of the festival, but he refused, adamantly seeking an injunction to stop The Field from happening. He wanted any loud amplified music after 10pm to cease for good. The week of the event we found ourselves in court with our landlord and the plaintiff who was trying to impose his demands on us only days before hundreds of folks were scheduled to arrive. This was a huge stress financially and emotionally. After spending thousands of dollars on legal fees and a lot of time in the courts, the judge ruled that the event could carry on, with some conditions. We were told to tone down the music after 2am on Friday and Saturday, and 12am on Sunday. We breathed a big sigh of relief and quickly scrambled to reorganize the schedule and get the rest of the work done to prepare the site for your imminent arrival. Over the duration of the weekend we worked hard to adhere to the judge's ruling. We kept the volume at a reasonable level, we monitored our sound levels with professional decibel readers and adjusted accordingly whenever necessary. The festival ran smoothly and without incident, a testament to the high quality of our attendees, artists, volunteers and staff. It was an incredible weekend and good times were had by all.
Unfortunately the judge's ruling left it open for the plaintiff to carry on with any other legal claims against us and our landlord, and carry on he did. We tried every angle to reason with our neighbour and did our best to be considerate of our community. Although we likely would beat the charges if we took this to trial we do not have the resources nor the backing of our landlord that would be required to pursue this course of action. In the end we are exhausted from the process and have agreed that moving on is the best thing for us....
At this time we are still trying to wrap up the legal details. The fees have added up and as we have offered to pay our landlords costs as well it has become a pretty hefty bill. The responsibility for this has fallen primarily on the properties' long term residents and has put a strain on their relationship with the landlord. This has left them feeling vulnerable as they have livestock, gardens and families that that are supported by and depend on the land...
HOW YOU CAN HELP
The goal of The Field has always been to gather, create, facilitate and nurture community. It has never been a big money maker for anyone involved. The artists have all played for reduced rates or profit share, the whole thing worked because of our amazing volunteers and the staff who put in countless hours for very little pay. We did it for the love. As The Field was built out of grassroots participation, we are asking you now, our family, our friends, our community, for your help. If The Field has touched you, if you've had amazing experiences there, if you've felt the love we did our very best to share, and if you have the means, please consider donating to this fund. Our goal is $5800, and we have until the end of June to reach it. Every small donation will help us get a little closer. Please help us spread the word by sharing this campaign far and wide.
What the future holds for The Field we do not know. Perhaps it shall appear in a new manifestation, perhaps it is one for the history books. However this turns out we want to thank you for all the beautiful times and for being a part of The Field community. It's been an honour to gather with you all. Thank you.
sincerely
The Field crew
We hope this finds you well. As summer festival season quickly approaches, the absence of The Field Gathering becomes more apparent to us. For the last 5 {or 6} years this time has been full of tasks and meetings, communications and promotions, planning and organizing for one of our favourite occasions... welcoming you to The White Crow Farm for another edition of The Field. As many of you know, The Field is not happening this year, and at it's home, the White Crow farm, will likely never happen again....
Most aren't aware of the events that occurred leading up to last year's gathering. An unfortunate situation arose less than a week before people were to begin arriving on the land and start setting up for the festival. A neighbour a couple of miles down river from us made it his mission to shut us down. He claimed we were a nuisance to him, detrimental to his health and to his ability to enjoy his life on his land. We offered him an expenses payed vacation during the duration of the festival, but he refused, adamantly seeking an injunction to stop The Field from happening. He wanted any loud amplified music after 10pm to cease for good. The week of the event we found ourselves in court with our landlord and the plaintiff who was trying to impose his demands on us only days before hundreds of folks were scheduled to arrive. This was a huge stress financially and emotionally. After spending thousands of dollars on legal fees and a lot of time in the courts, the judge ruled that the event could carry on, with some conditions. We were told to tone down the music after 2am on Friday and Saturday, and 12am on Sunday. We breathed a big sigh of relief and quickly scrambled to reorganize the schedule and get the rest of the work done to prepare the site for your imminent arrival. Over the duration of the weekend we worked hard to adhere to the judge's ruling. We kept the volume at a reasonable level, we monitored our sound levels with professional decibel readers and adjusted accordingly whenever necessary. The festival ran smoothly and without incident, a testament to the high quality of our attendees, artists, volunteers and staff. It was an incredible weekend and good times were had by all.
Unfortunately the judge's ruling left it open for the plaintiff to carry on with any other legal claims against us and our landlord, and carry on he did. We tried every angle to reason with our neighbour and did our best to be considerate of our community. Although we likely would beat the charges if we took this to trial we do not have the resources nor the backing of our landlord that would be required to pursue this course of action. In the end we are exhausted from the process and have agreed that moving on is the best thing for us....
At this time we are still trying to wrap up the legal details. The fees have added up and as we have offered to pay our landlords costs as well it has become a pretty hefty bill. The responsibility for this has fallen primarily on the properties' long term residents and has put a strain on their relationship with the landlord. This has left them feeling vulnerable as they have livestock, gardens and families that that are supported by and depend on the land...
HOW YOU CAN HELP
The goal of The Field has always been to gather, create, facilitate and nurture community. It has never been a big money maker for anyone involved. The artists have all played for reduced rates or profit share, the whole thing worked because of our amazing volunteers and the staff who put in countless hours for very little pay. We did it for the love. As The Field was built out of grassroots participation, we are asking you now, our family, our friends, our community, for your help. If The Field has touched you, if you've had amazing experiences there, if you've felt the love we did our very best to share, and if you have the means, please consider donating to this fund. Our goal is $5800, and we have until the end of June to reach it. Every small donation will help us get a little closer. Please help us spread the word by sharing this campaign far and wide.
What the future holds for The Field we do not know. Perhaps it shall appear in a new manifestation, perhaps it is one for the history books. However this turns out we want to thank you for all the beautiful times and for being a part of The Field community. It's been an honour to gather with you all. Thank you.
sincerely
The Field crew
Organizer and beneficiary
Derek Lyndon
Organizer
Vancouver, BC
Damon Chouinard
Beneficiary