The countdown to PorcFest has begun! Only 12 days to go!! Can you smell the excitement? It smells like… bacon. And freedom. Bacon-scented freedom.

Preregistrations are on par with last year’s record-breaking PorcFest X. If you were unable to preregister, walk-in tickets will be on sale: $100 for the whole week or $45 per day.

Kids and Families

This year, over 160 of the attendees will be kids! The PorcFest organizing team got a sneak preview of the amazing array of fun, hands-on activities that this year’s Kids and Family Coordinators Melanie and Richard G. have in store for them, and I can honestly say I’m jealous I’m not a kid! There will be scavenger hunts, marshmallow shooters, swimming and sliding, crafts, movies, and the return of the PorcOlympics, just to name a few. If you’re bringing any junior Porcs this year, be sure to check out the kid options in the schedule and make time to bring your little ones to at least a few of the events. They’ll have a blast!

Speaking of the schedule, if you checked it out before, you should probably do so again, because there’s been quite a bit of shuffling in order to make room for increasing numbers of awesome speakers and events! In addition to the keynote speakers mentioned in the last Prickler, popular liberty luminaries Jeffrey Tucker of Liberty.Me, Jeff Berwick aka The Dollar Vigilante, and Ben “Bad Quaker” Stone are all returning.

Protip: if the length and breadth of this year’s schedule appears overwhelming, try clicking the word “Popular” in the right-hand column for a pared down list of the events expected to have the highest turnout. Even that list has 50 events on it, though. PORCFEST Y U SO AWESOME?!

To streamline the registration process, we will have the Registration tent set up in the water slide parking lot. Look for the big PorcFest registration signs on the main road indicating the new spot. The Registration team will get you all checked in for PorcFest, after which you can check in at the Roger’s office for your campsite and be able to start enjoying PorcFest XI!

As of June 1, Roger’s Campground still had some RV campsites available (FYI, you can tent camp on an RV site). Also, several people have posted on the Facebook event looking to share a campsite. If you’ve procrastinated on reserving a spot, get to it!

Protip: Bring bugspray! The mosquitoes are reportedly thick this year.

Longtime PorcFest attendees may be aware that there is a very limited number of cabins at Roger’s. These cabins are highly coveted and are sometimes reserved a full year in advance. The PorcFest organizing team has decided to try something different next year. One of the four cabins will be reserved for the lead PorcFest organizers, as has become tradition. The other three will be auctioned off, with a starting bid of $2000. All proceeds go towards next year’s PorcFest expenses. Want a cabin next year? Keep an eye on future Free State Project newsletters and the Facebook event page for info on how to place your bid. The free market will decide how this very limited resource gets distributed amongst the ever growing hordes of freedom lovers!

Sailor Jerry, known for their spiced rum and wicked tattoos, will be sponsoring this year’s courtesy tent. They’ve donated a number of great prizes that will be given away to winners of Freedom Feud, including a BBQ grill, purses, wallets and bottle openers. Each day the courtesy tent will feature a drink of the day with a Sailor Jerry product.
Protip: When you check in at PorcFest, you’ll receive a cool Porcupine-shaped car magnet that serves as your parking pass. The magnet must go under the door handle on the driver’s side door. Vehicles on the campground without a magnet are subject to towing by the owners of Roger’s.

Music and Comedy

This year’s PorcFest features more live music than ever before. Here are just a few of the many acts: the Auld Locals, Olde Salt, and Meadows Brothers. Pro-liberty artists Jordan Page, Tatiana Moroz and Marcus the one man band will all be returning. In addition to music, Thursday evening will feature stand-up comedy, with a combination of amateur and professional comics, followed by the return of the World’s Most Interesting Economist starring in the Bob Murphy Variety Hour. Frankly, you’ve got to see it to believe it.

Firearms Etiquette

It wouldn’t be PorcFest without guns, and this year’s schedule features multiple shooting events, as well as the first-ever class on how to build your own AR-15, brought to you by Shaolin Rifleworks, one of this year’s Gold Sponsors. Of course, with freedom comes responsibility, and everyone at Roger’s Campground and on the PorcFest organizing team sincerely hopes that all attendees handle their firearms with the utmost care. Please check page 21 of the Free Stater magazine (there will be a copy in the welcome bag you’ll receive when you check in) for tips on firearm etiquette and safe handling. You may also want to attend one of the Firearms Etiquette courses to be held throughout the week.

Agora Valley is shaping up to be gargantuan, with over 50 vendors offering a dizzying array of food, non-alcoholic beverages, liberty-themed media, products, and… things so mysterious, I can’t even tell what they are by the vendor’s name. You’ll just have to walk through and see for yourself! Don’t forget to bring plenty of silver, Bitcoin and cash, as plastic is not widely accepted. If you don’t currently have any silver or Bitcoin, you should have no trouble finding both for sale in AV.

Keep an eye on the PorcFest blog and Facebook event for last minute updates. See you soon!!

Welcome back to the PorcFest Prickler! PorcFest XI is now less than four weeks away, and all sorts of plans are in the works to make it an unforgettable experience. Don’t forget that for daily updates, you can check the PorcFest blog and RSVP on the Facebook PorcFest event.

Register Now

Online registration ends on May 31! If you haven’t purchased your ticket yet, please do so ASAP at Registration. The price is now $75 for a full week, but will increase to $100 at the door. Day passes will be available at the door for $45/day. As always, children 17 and under get in free.

In case you’re wondering what your ticket price goes towards, it defrays the cost of a number of things: speaker fees for big name speakers; accommodations for some speakers; porta-potty rental; soap and TP in all of the Roger’s bathrooms; tent and A/V equipment rentals. The goal is to make PorcFest so enticing that liberty lovers from around the world are motivated to attend, and then have so much fun that they’ll want to join the FSP and help us Trigger the Move!

Protip: Dogs are welcome at Roger’s, and judging by past years, a lot of people will bring them this year. Please remember to follow basic doggie etiquette, so all of PorcFest’s attendees, both human and canine, have a fun and safe time.

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DIY – Do It Yourself

In addition to basic registration, there are several DIY events to consider buying a ticket for ahead of time:

The First Annual PorcFest Brunchfest competition will take place Wed., June 25^th, 10:30AM in the Pavilion. Snacks, desserts, and drinks are all allowable entries. Bribery of the judiciary is encouraged! The main goal of this event is FUN & eating up some tasty food. You will receive a score card to rate the entries on a score of 1-10. You will be judging taste, appearance, showmanship, bribes, etc.; whatever you think is most important. Your $9 entry will allow you to sample many dishes, treats, and drinks.

Build your own AR-15 Workshop – During this four hour class, you will learn to understand, build, maintain, and troubleshoot AR pattern rifles. The fee for this course is $675.00 ($699.62 w/service fee).

Knitting 101 – Come learn how to use two sticks and some “string” to make something useful and/or pretty. Knitting isn’t just for women! The $17 fee covers the cost of needles and yarn.

Lockpicking 101 – Come get your MacGyver on and learn how to open locks without a key! You’ll also learn about different kinds of locks and the best ones to use for your home. The $22 fee covers the cost of a pick set and practice lock to take home with you.

Natural and DIY Body Care Products – In this workshop you will learn about the dangers of chemical toxins in conventional brands of personal care products. You’ll hear about alternative natural products available for toothpaste, hair color, shampoo, conditioner, body soap, shave cream, moisturizers, makeup and laundry detergent. You will create your own moisturizing lotion and toothpaste to take home.

Perennial favorite the One-Pot Cookoff now has its own website! Cook-Off contestants are reporting that they’ll be creating good ol’ American comfort dishes such as Beer Cheese Soup, as well as a multitude of other, more exotic cuisines: India, Malaysia, Italy, Thailand and Ireland will all be represented.  For only $9 you get to sample and judge all the dishes, practice your orienteering skills by hunting down the participating campsites, and get some exercise walking around Roger’s. It really is a lot of fun and the best dining option for Thurs. June 26^th, 5 – 8PM.

Note that this is just a small sampling of all the activities scheduled for this year’s PorcFest. For the full schedule, visit the PorcFest website.

Protip: Bring picnic blankets with you. It’ll make hanging out on the main grassy fairway more comfortable!

Keynote Speakers

There will be loads of speakers focusing on various aspect of the DIY theme at this year’s PorcFest. There are too many to list here; for the full list, just go to Speakers.

The Free State Project is proud to present some fantastic keynote speakers:

Nick Gillespie – Friday June 27^th 4:30PM Nick is editor in chief of Reason.com and Reason TV, the online platforms of Reason, the libertarian magazine of “Free Minds and Free Markets”. He’s the co- author, with Matt Welch, of The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What’s Wrong With America. In addition to speaking, Nick is bringing the Reason.TV crew to PorcFest; keep an eye out for them!

Joel Salatin – Friday June 27^th 6:00PM Joel is a full-time farmer at Polyface, Inc. and has written several books, including Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal and Folks, This Ain’t Normal: A Farmer’s Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World. His speaking and writing reflect dirt-under-the-fingernails experience punctuated with mischievous humor. He passionately defends small farms, local food systems, and the right to opt out of the conventional food paradigm.

Patrick Byrne – Sat. June 28^th 5:30PM Wired Magazine has called him “Bitcoin Messiah, CEO of Overstock, Scourge of Wall Street”. In January, Overstock became the first major retailer to accept payment in Bitcoin, the increasingly popular cryptocurrency used by many Porcupines.  Don’t miss an opportunity to hear this internationally famous entrepreneurial maverick speak!

Welcome to the PorcFest Prickler! Every couple of weeks, we’ll post updates on the Free State Project’s upcoming PorcFest XI, which is shaping up to yet again be the liberty festival of the year. For daily updates, be sure to check this blog, and RSVP on the Facebook PorcFest event.

PorcFest Registration is Booming

Although it’s still almost two months away, Porcupines all across the land are excitedly making plans for PorcFest XI. In fact, registrations are exceeding expectations. As of April 26th, over 700 people had registered. This includes over 100 kids! Check out the many kid-friendly activities being planned by clicking on the “Family” filter on the right side of the schedule.

If you weren’t able to take advantage of the early-bird pricing, tickets are still available for $60 for the full week… but only through midnight on May 17th. Don’t delay; register today! While you’re at it, pre-order a PorcFest XI T-shirt or hoodie (pro-tip: the hoodies are running small this year; we recommend ordering the size above your usual size).  Day passes will be available at Roger’s for $45/day.

If you haven’t booked lodging yet, now’s the time! Although Rogers “tent” sites are sold out, there are still “RV” sites available which are perfectly suitable for camping. If you’d prefer a hotel, there are still rooms available at nearby local hotels. More info here.  A quick note on Rogers: there was a management change between last summer and now; while they’re working as fast as they can to process reservation requests, please try to cut them some slack if anything falls through the cracks. Both the Rogers staff and the PorcFest organizing team are working like gangbusters to ensure that PorcFest continues to be an amazing and inspiring experience for all attendees!

Speaking of the PorcFest organizing team, I can honestly say it is impressive. Led by the dynamic duo of Dave and Christine Butler, the team is organized, motivated, creative, and not afraid to shake things up a bit, while retaining all the aspects of PorcFest that past attendees know and love (for example, the Bardo Farm Pig Roast and Buzz’ Big Gay Dance Party). Curious about these lunatics hearty souls willing to brave the obligatory slings and arrows of online libertarian kvetching to bring you PorcFest XI? Check out the team bios. And when you run into any of these people at PorcFest, don’t forget to say “thanks”. Or offer bacon; bacon works, too.

DIY

The theme of this year’s festival is DIY (Do It Yourself). Dozens of classes and workshops are being offered so you can get hands-on experience learning valuable new skills. There’s something for just about everyone: making your own makeup, tie dying, shooting (MACHINE GUNS), dancing, making cheese, beekeeping… Seriously, take the time to look at the schedule and check out the mind-boggling array of offerings! And please register for the classes you plan to take, so that the instructors can plan ahead and have the right quantity of supplies on hand. Also, there is a fee for a few of the classes; see the registration page for details.

It wouldn’t be PorcFest without Agora Valley, and this year’s AV is going to be bigger than ever, with more than 50 vendors already signed up. A wide assortment of food will be available, so if you’re staying in a motel, or campsite cooking isn’t your thing, you will be able to eat well without ever leaving Roger’s. Please note that most vendors won’t be set up for credit card payments; cash, silver and Bitcoin are the preferred methods of exchange.

The extremely popular Liberty Ladies One Pot Cook-Off is returning on Thursday June 26th from 5:00PM to 8:00PM, and, like just about everything else, is shaping up to be bigger than ever, with a record-breaking number of participants. This event *will* sell out, so snag your ticket now.