Some believe a threshold is crossed when you leave the real world and enter the world that is Shakori Hills, the grassroots festival of Silk Hope, NC.
Students enjoy many festivities from dancing to eating. The festival is held twice a year for four days, most recently April 18-21.
“I try to experience everything, like every aspect of the festival: dancing, music, the drum circles and story telling,” said junior Jennifer Greenlee, who has attended the festival three times.
Shakori is a musical festival that features grassroots bands. There is a mixture of local and international bands performing.
“You walk around and there is always music on. You fall asleep and there’s music, and you wake up and there’s music,” junior Allie Ray said.
Festivals like these can be perceived as an outlet for some students to forget about their problems.
“My perception of it is a giant music festival where you can just go and forget everything, especially since it was the weekend of the Boston bombing,” Ray said. “It was just nice to be able to close myself off from that and just become one with nature.”
Some people think that Shakori is a place for teenagers to drink and take drugs, but multiple festivalgoers disagree.
“I wish people would not think of it as a giant drug festival because it’s more than that, and if they would go, they would actually realize that,” Ray said.
Sophomore Hannah Coffee agrees that Shakori’s reputation seems unfair.
“Hearing about [Shakori] at Northwood, it seems like it would be more drug related, but it’s really not,” Coffee said.
Although not everyone attends Shakori to participate in drug use, there are people who take part in the drug use.
Law enforcement officers attend every year and the festival does not support drug use or underage drinking, but students say that it still occurs.
Drugs such as LSD, shrooms, acid and large doses of molly induce hallucinogen reactions, which may be popular because of the music, dancing and theme of the festival.
“You got some people who want to trip on LSD, shrooms and acid. It’s crazy out there, but that’s not me,” said an anonymous senior.
These drugs may be popular at this kind of festival because of its atmosphere and reputation.
“People think it’s a bad place when it’s just a place to have fun and enjoy the hippies. I love the hippies,” an anonymous senior said.
– By Jessica Clayton