This is the "most current" page for Slaughterstock.  I'll try to keep it updated every year, so you should be able to just bookmark this page to keep current.

Slaughterstock 2013 is, as of right now, still a go.  I'm not exactly sure when or where... stay tuned.

For more (or at least different) information about Slaughterstock, check out our Facebook page ( http://facebook.com/slaughterstock ).

Slaughterstock now has an even page on Facebook (WARNING: you must login to see it).  I've got more confirmed attendees that way in just a few hours than on my own website.  Wow.  Anyway, here's a breakdown of the main topics (that I can think of):

-- [DATE] --

The weekend of June 26th - 28th.  Friday the 26th is an unofficial start date, starting whenever I get off work and generally consisting of cleaning and cutting stuff up.  There will be chainsaws and various other sharp instruments, along with trucks and stuff for moving logs and whatever else needs to be done for preparation.  As usual, I will provide beer & food for anybody that shows up.  It's a good time!

-- [RULES] --

1. No drugs.
2. We're not responsible for your accidents.
3. No minors (miners are still okay).
4. No fighting.
5. BYOB (ABSFM) -- Bring Your Own Beer (And Bring Some For Me)
6. Don't drink and drive.
7. If it's not yours, don't mess with it.
8. Clean up after yourself.
9. Have a good time.

I reserve the right to kick out anybody without any reason whatsoever.  I reserve the right to do whatever I want whenever I want for whatever reason I want.  If you're a designated driver, let me know and I'll try to provide some pop or whatever--provided I'm not already intoxicated.

I will not be allowing people into my house by default, though I may make exceptions on an as-needed basis.  If you gotta go to the bathroom, find a tree or something and bring TP... I might rent a port-o-potty if there's enough in attendance, but it hasn't really been a problem in the past... but there isn't really a hard-and-fast rule about it, so talk to me first.

Don't make a mess.  I'll have a garbage receptacle nearby, and the fire works for most things, but glass and aluminum don't burn and are a pain to cleanup.  We're all there to have a good time, so don't do stuff that will make it unpleasant for me or anyone else afterward.

-- [LOCATION] --

The snow has melted and the flood waters have receded.  The farm is still here.  That means it will be at the same location it's always been at, which is the Falconer Farm [TinyURL.com -> Google Maps].

-- [MUSIC] --

BANDS: I haven't invited any.  I don't forsee myself inviting any to play.  If you're in a band and you want to play, bring your own stuff (power shouldn't be a problem, but you should bring a generator if you have one, 'cuz that's a lot of extension cables).  There won't be a stage unless someone brings one.  Loud stuff stops at 10pm so neighbors can sleep.  I gots no monies, so any band that is thinking of or actually decides to play is doing so for free--and if you invite crazy, disruptive, or otherwise unsavory folk, I reserve the right to kick 'em to the curb (if we had one).

MUSIC:  I've got plenty on my 1TB external drive, so I'll probably just plug a stereo into my laptop and let Amarok amaze everyone with it's totally awesome randomization capabilities (hrmm... I wonder how long it will take to build a database of 45,000 songs). 

-- [BURNINATION] --

There will be a bonfire as usual, weather permitting.  In the event that weather isn't permitting... well, I don't know.  The soon-to-be-traditional Failure Burning (burning something that's failed you or something that symbolizes failure) is a go, weather permitting again.

If you are going to attend, please fill out this form so know what dates work best (and some other stuff).

I'm not saying I've put a ton of thought into it.  In fact, I haven't really put much thought into it at all. 

I'm looking for ideas.  I have been told several times that the "burning something that failed you" was a big hit. 

I'm considering inviting a local (or semi-local) band to the event, though the overall poor turnout for the past couple of years is somewhat daunting.  There's still a band from Fargo which has shown interest in being at the event, or at least the lead singer has.  They've changed the name of the band several times, so I'll have to contact the lead singer again to find out if the name is going to stay (and that they'd be interested in playing) before I post anything more about that.

Another problem with bands is that I have neighbors closer than in previous years and I don't want to anger them because of the noise.  My attempts to keep things quiet in previous years have failed miserably.  Ending early seems to be a bad idea; people don't like showing up when there's still daylight, and there's not a lot of time in the period between sunset and 10pm... so thoughts on the matter would be great.

Beyond the problems, a bonfire seems to be almost a requirement.  It seems to work pretty well to have all the cleaning and cutting of wood done on the Friday prior to the event, and offering free beer (and possibly food) for any willing to attend.

I've had a DJ out before, instead of dealing with a band.  That seemed to work rather well, and the volume wasn't a problem.  I guess if all else fails, I'll just pull out my laptop and a stereo with the proper jacks & fire up a random MP3 playlist: Amarok (for you Windows kiddies, that's a Linux program) has a great random/dynamic playlist system, and works well with the 3,600+ MP3's in my collection.

CONTACTING ME: Since I don't currently have comments working for CS-Blogger, all I can ask is that feedback be emailed to me.

UPDATE: I was also recently made aware that Slautherstock will fall on or around the date of Prophet's graduation.  So it'll be just like old times, celebrating graduations (of course we'll all actually be of age now)!

UPDATE 2009-04-14: after retrieving data off a family member's broken external hard drive, I now have over 40,000 MP3's instead of the measly 3,600 stated before.  Hopefully I can get them all organized prior to the event!  Also, the location for Slaughterstock is still dynamic right now: we've been having a lot of flooding, and are in fact still in a flood watch now, so stay tuned.

As the title implies, we've tentatively planned Slaughterstock '08 for the weekend of July 4th. My wife just informed me that I might have been off by one ('course, she didn't use the words "might have been"), so last year's was the 9th annual, not 10th... so this will be the big ONE-OH! We've been putting off making a date for the event, as we've been expecting that her 10-year high school reunion would conflict; since we haven't received anything for it yet, I'm setting the date. But beware the date may change if the reunion's date conflicts.

As with every previous year, the event will be held at the Falconer farm in Bismarck, North Dakota. The rules this year are the same as they've ever been:

• No drugs.
• No minors (miners, however, are welcome).
• No fighting.
• BYOB (ABSFM) -- Bring Your Own Beer (And Bring Some For Me)

The Friday before (June 27th) will be the wood-cutting ceremony: anybody that shows up to help cut wood can partake of free drinks and, of course, gratuitous destruction of burnable objects. If the burn ban is lifted, there will also be a bonfire that night... but if the burn ban is in effect, there will be no bonfire for the event.

I'll post updates here if there are any changes. One final reminder: Slaughterstock has NOTHING to do with killing farm animals! The event's name, given by one of the founders (Prophet), is based on my old CB handle, "Slaughter." The -stock suffix was used because we initially always had the event around the same time as Demonstock, the traditional BHS party that always seemed to get busted--and in record time.