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 Perhaps Jerry himself smiled down on Pok-O yesterday and sent the sunshine and some daydreams to set the right tone at the 104th annual Pok-O-Palooza. Demonstrators gathered on the Jr. ball field and were soon whipped up into a frenzy of antiwar excitement by live music, all you can eat pizza, body art and the zip line. Campers remembered to wear flowers in their hair, everyone’s look was casual and relaxed, and love was in the air.
Alex Martini “really liked the pizza. They were so big that I only had two pieces,” while Luke Fraser thought the band was  “rocking,” and Alias Smith “enjoyed finding my soul mate.” “I got a tattoo, my hair braided, and tried the zip line. This is probably the only place where that could all happen at once; I loved it,” stated Laurence Rosenstadt. Jeremy Muse liked, “watching people get squished by mattresses when they finished the zip line.” Other campers enjoyed the Playroom where they could get their face painted and play with Day-Glo magic goo.
When asked what the best part of the Palooza was many campers came up with the same answer... “crate climbing.” It was the allure of trying to climb a tower built of milk crates accompanied by the opportunity to beat  a camp record that attracted people to the activity. Ally Sullivan demonstrated amazing agility and determination during her climb. “It looked fun and I wasn’t really scared while I was doing it. I looked down though and saw that a crowd was watching me and then I got a little nervous.” Sullivan tied the camp record by climbing 18 crates on her first attempt. When asked why she tried the second time, her response was simple, “to beat the record,” which she managed to do by climbing twenty crates that she stacked herself.
The evening ended with the band playing into the early evening until “the man” declared that the playing had to stop due to noise and bedtime. Protesters packed up their posters and headed home with a little more peace and love in their heart.
(click here for full photo gallery)
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VISITOR’S DAY
