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Mysteryland: plant before they party

Dan Hust - Staff Writer
Posted 3/31/15

BETHEL — Mysteryland will be arriving in Sullivan County a full month before an expected 30,000 people descend on Bethel Woods.

As they did last year, organizers of the three-day electronic …

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Mysteryland: plant before they party

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BETHEL — Mysteryland will be arriving in Sullivan County a full month before an expected 30,000 people descend on Bethel Woods.

As they did last year, organizers of the three-day electronic music festival are encouraging concertgoers to contribute a little something to the Bethel community before they party into the wee hours of Memorial Day weekend.

So on April 18, with the promise of a free ticket as reward, 45 Mysteryland attendees will be invited to revamp the Town of Bethel's Children's Community Garden, a Sullivan Renaissance project next to the town pool on Old White Lake Turnpike.

“We wanted to do something to promote environmentally friendly and sustainable living,” explains Brian Tamke, project manager of Mysteryland's parent, ID&T North America.

“Working with members of the town council, we decided that the Children's Community Garden would be a great place to start,” he adds. “It needed a little work and is heavily used by the [town's] summer camp throughout the summer months.”

Indeed, some of those campers (past and future) will be treated to a BBQ that same day courtesy of Mysteryland.

“They're having a picnic there,” Bethel Supervisor Dan Sturm confirms.

Volunteers, accompanied by several Mysteryland staffers, will be shuttled from Grand Central Station to Old White Lake Turnpike and spend the day not only preparing the BBQ but mulching walking paths, weeding the garden and erecting a 10'x10' shed.

“We'll keep our tools in it,” says Sturm.

Mysteryland's sustainability manager, Tennille Wilfur, will keep track of participants during and after the work day, and on site, she'll be assisted by Sullivan Renaissance's Denise Frangipane and Town Board member Vicky Vassmer-Simpson, according to Tamke.

The effort parallels similar “10,000 Hours” Community Service Days at other Mysteryland and even non-Mysteryland events since 2011 and represents the second such event locally.

Before last year's inaugural Mysteryland at Bethel Woods, 50 festivalgoers cheered runners in the Allyson Whitney Foundation's 5K race and manned water stations throughout the course, racking up about 300 hours of volunteerism, tallied as part of a worldwide goal of 10,000 hours.

“Our vision is to encourage and inspire festivalgoers to actively participate in the society in which they live, supporting both group participation and active citizenship,” reads Mysteryland's press release on “10,000 Hours.”

It also dovetails with the festival's intense efforts to be as “green” as possible, from recycling to carpooling to utilizing tap water vs. bottled.

Sturm plans to be one of those at the Community Garden on April 18.

“I'm excited about it!” he affirms. “It's just good stuff.”

To find out more, check out www.facebook.com/10000hours/timeline.

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