Rock for Ron Paul & Freedom: A celebration

The Rock for Ron Paul and Freedom Concert was a phenomenal event, sponsored by the Students for Ron Paul, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. I had the privilege of working with David Fryauf, an 18 year old freshman, who was the main organizer of the event. I am in awe of how David and the other students, with support of the Fayetteville Champions of Freedom for Ron Paul Meetup pulled this off in a 2 1/2 week period. The event proved to be fun, educational, and inspiring for just about everyone who attended. I want to list some highlights of the event:

Speeches by Ron Paul Supporters: About 15 people shared various topics which covered a wide range of subjects all relating to our theme. I loved the variety in both presentation and topic. Although I was pretty busy a lot of the time, trying to keep up with who was next on the agenda--supporting Adam, who did a super job of being master of ceremonies, what I did hear was so inspiring! One older gentleman who knows Ron Paul personally was really reluctant to speak because it was frightening. But he overcame his fear because he is so committed to supporting Ron Paul. Another person had a great fear of public speaking, but wanted to share a unique message--an environmentalist supporting Ron Paul. She almost had a panic attack afterwards, but was able to meditate and calm herself. People are stretching and sacrificing for this cause. I am going to write a whole blog with recollections from speeches, hoping that others will join in and add comments.

Bands: David did such a great job of finding a lovely variety of bands. It was nice to have about 6 different bands--plus speakers in between. A real winning combo.

Master of Ceremonies--Adam. Adam was so happy to be able to help. His schedule is such that he can not attend our in person meetings--although he does what he can to support the cause of freedom. He really made up for lost time yesterday, being willing to step in at the last minute as the Master of Ceremonies. I volunteered for the job, but realized that a student really needed to do this. He was amazingly flexible and patient as we planned at the last minute, with so many changes happening--I loved working with him!

Our Up With Freedom Band: I really wanted to fulfill my vision of having a band that presents a message for a better world to a receptive audience (had this dream since 26 years ago). Not only did David, the organizer, put the band on the roster--but he was part of it! As a skilled drummer he added a lot. Tyler added his great skills as guitarist. Chris, my son, and Mahriyanna, my daughter, were also in the group. (another dream come true!) And thanks to Sadie, our other young singer and dancer. Last but not least, Allison not only has amazing adminstrative and sign-making skills, but she plays the penny whistle and sings wonderfully. We only had two rehearsals--but we rocked!

All hands on deck: So many people showed up at 10 am on Sat. to help, and stayed until past 6pm--last ones leaving about 7:30. People followed up on their commitments like I have never seen before. Every band showed up. Every person who said they were coming to help (that I know of) was there. This kind of integrity and commitment makes our organizing efforts so strong--building strong ties of trust which we are going to need if time get rough.

The perfect weather: It was partly cloudy, a little cool--but for November--perfect! We prayed for weather that would be conducive to an outdoor gathering, and we got it.

The perfect venue: I love the Greek Theatre--the combination of a huge state, good acoustics, grassy area in front on which to dance and play, grass and side walk farther back to put informational tables and hang out--with relatively easy access--is so nurturing! The right place where there is room for a multitude of activites makes such a difference.

The Right Sound System: I first started looking for a sound system to help David out on Halloween night. I still remember because I was at a party at Arsagas, and I asked the sound guy (and drummer) of the group, Strange Heroes, if the group could play, and if they could do sound. He said it was really difficult to do sound at the Greek Theatre because it was so big. But just three days before the concert (that's what I call faith in action!) a sound system was volunteered by the Family Dogs who are passionate supporters of Ron Paul. The connection came because John, member of Students for Ron Paul, asked his older brother if they would provide sound system. They agreed--if they could play, too, of course! They were all so helpful during the concert. Way to go!

The yummy refreshments: I couldn't imagine being able to provide enough food for all the people (I am estimating about 200 showed up throughout the day--but it is hard to say). But Qdoba's really came through with a huge supply of chips and salsa. Volunteers supplied a variety of dips, Eureka Pizza sent some pizza, and Red Devil Energy drinks supplied all the beverages. Wow! We even had food left over.

Over all flow: I was just overjoyed to see how everyone worked together so harmoniously, both in set up and break down. Some of us didn't even want to leave. I think if we had scheduled a celebration party afterwards a lot of us would have attended--basking in the glow of a great day. Isn't it amazing how we can have so much energy when people are positive, helpful, encouraging?

A great attendance. We had a variety of people show up. Friends and relatives of band members. People who saw the posters. People who could hear the music (another advantage of an outdoor venue). People who wanted some free food. Friends and relatives of meetup members and Students of Ron Paul members. People who are passionate about supporting Ron Paul and haven't yet been able to connect. Even some members of the Young Democrats stopped by after their conference.

A few amazing things that stand out:

Eric saying, from his heart and gut, that he would take the bullet for Ron Paul--that's how much he cares about the man and the message

Being able to sing in the Up With Freedom Band--fulfilling a life long dream.

Richard sharing that Camp Casey peace activists are starting to get on the band wagon for Ron Paul, overcoming prejudices about issues that often divide and conquer us like abortion or gay rights.

Ron Paul Supporters coming up in stage from age 3 to 65 and sharing in one sentence why they support Ron Paul.

Richard telling many of us the story: he goes to the airport to bring a friend who flew from Springfield all the way here to attend the concert. A guy at the airport sees his Ron Paul Button. He says,"I know about Ron Paul--I saw this box that said, "Google Ron Paul" and I googled him. He is great! Richard gave the guy his button, of course!

A woman called me the night before to inquire about getting organizational consulting from me. I invited her to the concert. She showed up. We knew each other (but didn't recognize voice or name over the phone) She didn't know anything about Ron Paul before, but left on fire!

I made connections with meetup members and Students of Ron Paul that were so meaningful--learning more about people and planning new projects--like how to create a system like Meetup which is specifically geared towards our freedom movement efforts.

Being able to make all kinds of announcements and acknowledgements from the stage when there was a little time.

Seeing people dance and clap while we were playing.

Inviting the two members of the Young Democrats to speak their mind--showing them that we aren't dogmatic about Ron Paul--just about freedom! They left being a little more open to Ron Paul, I'm sure! They spoke about how even though they were democrats, they were impressed by our grassroots movement.

Enjoying the variety of music and getting to dance with abandon.

My whole family was there--two kids, husband, former husband--that was so awesome! My whole family has always been supportive of most of Ron Paul's values, so it this campaign has brought us together to work for the cause of freedom.

Best of all for me--was being able to work on a project with others and feel the huge satisfaction of a job well done--the love, connection, respect, and joy was so powerfully felt by us-and we supported Ron Paul and the Freedom Movement at the same time!

Hey, thanks Ron Paul, for inspiring us all to work together for freedom. We hope you can come to our next concert and speak to us!