Official Statement on COVID-19 from Precipitation Northwest and SOAK Producers
Precipitation Northwest along with the SOAK*2020 producers want to address the rapidly developing COVID-19 (coronavirus) situation. Our thoughts are with those who have already experienced the impacts. The health of our guests, volunteers, and staff is our first priority.
We are meeting regularly to discuss contingency plans and are closely monitoring new developments at the global level (WHO), national level (CDC) as well as the state of Oregon and Wasco County. In the past couple days Oregon Governor Kate Brown has enacted social distancing guidelines banning gatherings of more than 250 people until at least 4/8 to slow down the spread of infection and closed all K-12 schools through the end of the month.
As a matter of safety we are limiting the planning of SOAK*2020 for at least 2-4 weeks at which point we can reassess our available options. We will provide additional updates as we learn more over the next couple weeks.
We urge all participants to take precautions as they make their own preparations for SOAK, seek out information from reputable sources, and use their best judgement. Thank you for being a part of our SOAK community. We are all in this together and welcome feedback. To help our event leadership team focus please direct responses and questions to Precipitation Northwest through the contact form or board@precipitationnw.org.
Burning Man Portland Town Hall 2020 Wrap Up
Harry Nedley, PNW President, speaking at Town Hall
Sunday March 1 was the annual Burning Man Portland Town Hall at Taborspace. This event is organized by our Portland Regional Contacts (RCs) and sponsored by Precipitation Northwest. The event provided a space for the community to gather (or livestream), meet, and share information about all things Burning Man, both in Nevada and on all the various local happenings.
Here is an overview of what was presented this year:
SOAK*2020 Event Updates
This year’s SOAK Producers presented on event updates, changes, new sounds policies, and ticket prices for SOAK*2020. This year’s theme is Some Assembly Required, and will take place May 21-25 in Tygh Valley. Find out more by visiting the SOAK*2020 website or checking the SOAK*2020 Facebook.
The Major Burnable Structure (MBS) team provided an overview of this year’s MBS design and concept. There was even a 3D model for a hands on experience! This year’s MBS is called DIYMBS, and was designed by Becca Priddy (Shiny).
BurnOut Event Updates
There was a presentation and update on BurnOut by event producer Dan Forrester (Beacon), that included a wrap up on the success of last year as well as sharing on some plans and new ideas for the 2020 event. No event details have been announced yet (location or date), but more information will be released in the next few months.
Precipitation Northwest Updates
Precipitation Northwest shared updates about the organization including introduction to new board members, a general overview of the board’s role, a look at board finances, and a review of the organization’s past work and activities in 2019, as well as goals and plans for 2020.
Safety Northwest will be returning in 2020 April 23-25, and will be produced by Tacy Brotherton (HugBoss) and David Barr (Battalion4). More information about the event is available on the Safety Northwest 2020 Facebook event page.
Regional Contact (RC) Updates
Finally, we heard from our three amazing RCs on updates about the Burning Man 2020 event including ticketing prices, requirements, and timelines. There was great Q&A and conversation on Burning Man, the role of RCs, and the potential for community involvement throughout, as well as updates about a potential new process for recruiting and hiring new RCs in the Portland area. More information about RCs can be found on their website.
The board is happy to sponsor this annual event and looks forward to participating next year. This event is an important opportunity to improve communication, increase transparency, and foster collaboration with our community about the work we do. And we have fun! We welcome and appreciate those who attend, participate, and provide feedback and support to us at these and other events.
Click here to see the entire 2020 Town Hall presentation slide deck.
Upcoming Event: Town Hall 2020
Join us for the annual Burning Man Town Hall meeting on Sunday, March 1 from 3pm-6pm at Taborspace.
This annual event is sponsored by Precipitation Northwest and organized by Portland's Regional Contacts (RCs) as part of their volunteer work for the national Burning Man Project.
It is also a way for local burners (or the Burner curious) to meet each other, get information about local happenings, learn about updates to the annual regional event SOAK, as well as hear directly from the Precipitation Northwest Board of Directors about the organization’s recent and upcoming activities and work.
The agenda for the day is as follows:
Welcome and Intros: 3:00-3:05
SOAK: 3:05-3:50
Burnout: 3:50-4:05
*Break* 4:05-4:20
Precipitation Northwest: 4:20-5:05
Burning Man: 5:05-5:30
Breakouts and wrap-up: 5:30-6:00
For more details and to RSVP, visit the Facebook page here.
Please contact the RCs directly for questions or more information about this event by emailing portland@burningman.org.
SOAK*2020 Leads Retreat Weekend
Last week (February 1-3), the SOAK*2020 Producers and Leads met for their annual Leads Retreat. This event happens every year and is considered the official kickoff to the year’s SOAK event.
The Leads Retreat is a chance for this year’s event Producers and Department Leads to gather and prepare for the upcoming event and plan the weeks of hard work ahead. The Precipitation Northwest Board enjoys having the opportunity to attend this annual event, to meet new and returning leads, and to work alongside the Producers and Leads to kick off the SOAK event year.
The retreat was held for the 2nd time at Mount Hood Kiwanis Camp, and was attended by all 9 Precipitation NW board members, all 5 of the SOAK*2020 Producers, and the majority of the 39 Department Leads.
Friday night was an informal potluck, and Saturday was a full day of presentations and discussion about the upcoming year.
In addition to discussing things like resources and budgets, the day also included time for each department to review 2018’s After Burn Reports (ABRs), which are reports written by last year’s leads that summarize important learnings and recommendations for how to improve over last year.
The Precipitation Northwest board once again presented 2 different sessions - one on Saturday morning generally about our organization and activities, and one session on Saturday afternoon all about finances. This session specifically covered how the Producers and Department Leads work together to propose both individual department budgets, as well as an overall event budget request to the board.
A special thanks to KosherBacon who volunteered his time to prepare and organize meals for the team over the entire weekend, and also manages the Burner Barn and keeps SOAK event materials safe and organized. Thank you to Battalion4 who in addition to being a SOAK*2020 Department lead, but who is also taking a lead role in producing Safety Northwest.
Overall, Precipitation Northwest left the weekend excited about this year, and overwhelmed with gratitude for the hard work and dedication displayed by everyone who help makes SOAK happen each year.
For more SOAK*2020 event information, visit www.soakpdx.com and join the Facebook event https://www.facebook.com/events/954212661616854/
New Board Members and SOAK*2020 Producers Announcement
The SOAK*2020 leadership team is growing! It will now include three new Producers, rounding out a team of five total Producers for this years event. We are pleased to welcome them along with four new members of Precipitation Northwest's Board of Directors. We are excited to have such qualified and enthusiastic individuals joining the SOAK and Precipitation NW teams!
Your returning SOAK*2020 executive producers are HugBoss (Tacy Brotherton) and Pablovex (Paul Lewis). New to the SOAK production team is associate producer Koala (Jenny Rodriguez), plus assistant producers Golddust (Revé Oviedo) and One Eye (Jeannie Rodriguez).
Returning to the Precipitation Northwest board of directors are Harry Nedley, Ryan Krellwitz, Ariel Rigney, Danielle Parks, and Dale Lucht. New to the board this year are Molly Harpel, Alexander LaVake, Kristin Stankiewicz, and Preet Gujral. For a list of bios and photos of all our board members, please visit our Board of Directors page.
In the fall of 2019, the Precipitation NW board began soliciting and interviewing for new board member positions, and with the help of returning SOAK producers we also began interviewing for SOAK Producer positions. With the leadership team established we are now ready to kick off the 2020 event; the first big step is the Leads Retreat with the 2020 Leads Team.
Interested in volunteering for SOAK*2020? There is still time to get involved! Be sure to keep a lookout for SOAK volunteer signups in the coming months. There will also be an opportunity to meet the entire leadership team at the annual Town Hall meeting on March 1, and the entire Board of Directors later in the year at the Annual General Assembly.
We would like to thank Adrian Thomas-Eikmann (aka Cucumber) and Sarah Honeycutt for their service to the community as Board Members, both of whom retired from the Precipitation Northwest board of directors as of December 31, 2019. As a founding board member Cucumber has been instrumental in getting Precipitation Northwest where we are today, helping launch Safety Northwest and implementing the Conduct Review Panel, among numerous other behind the scenes contributions that will continue to benefit the community. We look forward to working with him as he steps down from the board and continues to service the community in other critical ways, and wish him the best!
A big thanks is also in order to Honeybee who stepped down as Producer after many years of SOAK production, volunteerism, leadership, passion and enthusiasm. She has played a critical role in helping to grow the SOAK event year over year, and help the event improve in professionalism and sustainability. We’re grateful to her for her hard work, and look forward to continuing to work with her on future projects.
MBS Design Submissions
SOAK*2020 needs your help!
The MBS (Major Burnable Structure) Team is seeking designs from the community for the 2020 Major Burnable Structure (you know, the big thing we assemble to burn to the ground on Saturday night). This is an opportunity for YOU to tell us your idea about what to make and how to make it.
But am I Qualified??
The only qualification is the willingness to provide your ideas and the ability to communicate them - no building, design, or leadership experience is necessary to participate.
All ideas will be reviewed by the SOAK Operations Team (which includes SOAK Producers, the Precipitation Northwest board, and our Burning Man Regional Contacts). Once accepted, you will work closely with the MBS Team to help guide and bring your idea to life.
Ok I’m Ready, How Do I Apply?
If you are interested in applying, please follow the instructions on the SOAK website to submit your ideas.
The deadline to submit your ideas is December 15th, 2019.
We can't wait to see what you're going to create!
eadym,3D Renditions of SOAK*2019 MBS done by Sam Smith
Seeking SOAK*2020 Producers (Application deadline: 10/31)
SOAK*2019 - photo by Ate21
We are looking for new people to join our volunteer SOAK*2020 Producer team! We have a variety of positions open from Executive Producers to Production Managers. Job descriptions and qualifications for all positions are the same and we will offer roles to individuals based on what their unique strengths are and/or where their passions lay.
To apply, please read the SOAK*2020 Producer Role description completely and then fill out this application form.
Applications will be accepted through October 30, 2019.
For additional information about SOAK, please feel free to check out the SOAK*2019 website or view the SOAK page on our website.
If you have questions, please send an email to: board@precipitationnw.org
BurnOut 2019 is coming 11/2
Mark your calendars: BurnOut 2019 is coming to downtown Portland on Saturday, November 2nd!
Join us for a night of art, performance, dance, and a whole lot of music!
This two-part event will feature an all-ages art in the park day party at Director Park, plus a 21+ evening of music, dancing, and community at Pythian Studios.
If you are returning from the playa, didn’t go, miss or are curious about the burner community, or just need to connect and share some love, make this your decompression event. This is the official Burning Man sanctioned decompression in the Portland metro area.
Event Date: Saturday, 11/2
Location: Downtown Portland (Director Park & Pythian Studios)
Time: 3pm - 4am
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/burnout-2019-tickets-76517663391
All Ages 3pm-10pm // 21+ after 10pm
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/514812965745234/
Questions? Contact event producers Beacon and Andrew by emailing producers@burnoutpdx.com.