Hey y’all, while I have been pretty quiet these last few weeks recovering personally from the challenges and excitement of the 23 Burn, and needing to pouring much time back into my default world work-life, today I wanted to take just a few minutes to tip my hat to each and every one of my fellow FCKD|FIXD Camp mates who helped Gizzy (Gregg Smith) and I (Magento/Fred Troncone) pull off the impossible!!
When we first conceived this camp idea last year, we launched into it with a full head of full and great enthusiasm. The ground work work and resources we laid out to secure our IRS designated nonprofit status, seek placement and tickets with the BORG, and the private start-up funding of our Camp infrastructure and trailer-build began 10 months ago (last November 2022) well before we started recruiting our mission team in May 2023. While most of the groundwork and challenges we faced will forever remain unknown, as Co-TCOs, Gizzy and I know that what we accomplished personally and as a Camp was and is epic.
My sincere thanks goes out to each of you FCKD|FIXD Campmates who stretched to animate our vision and made F|F a smashing success.
In fact, as some of you know, many a seasoned TCOs, Burners, and representatives of various elements of the BORG congratulated us, shouted out, and otherwise signaled their amazement with what we did as we received a bevy of salutations and expressions of awe. We are honored of course, not individually, but rather, as a Camp that made a difference to so many – as a first year camp to boot!!
Dropping back, I can tell you that for many weeks and month’s leading up to our July push to the finish I honestly felt like Sisyphus … but with Gizzy’s steely determination, we together shouldered the lift until YOU, our invaluable reinforcements and skilled cadre of determined fixers, joined us in our mission. With your great efforts we completed our build just in the nick of time for an on time departure.
I want to single out Will Alyn, who jumped in with both feet just weeks before we left for the Playa, at a critical time when we desperately needed a strong shove forward. He did it selflessly and we are grateful for all of his contributions.
And also Lizzy, Gizzy’s partner. She was the glue that held it all together with her quiet support, efforts, and kindness, keeping Gregg nourished as he worked 20 hours a day for weeks on end, and me as well. Thank you so much Lizzy!
As we approached our departure from DC to the Playa on August 14, we coalesced as a team, and we made it happen. Outstanding effort by all of you.
I am very proud of what we together have accomplished in just our inaugural year as a camp. With Gizzy’s hand on the tiller, and the backbreaking efforts of all of us, both young and old alike, we turned what was once just a dream into reality, and we helped hundreds of fellow Burners as we walked the walk – unFUCKing Their Burns. And, this fat old man actually managed to lose a few pounds in the process, and I feel damn good about that too!
Through it all this past year, as TCOs Gizzy and I learned more than a few lessons. We did a lot right too and it showed. We will build on this year’s experience, and we are committed to improving on all fronts as we move forward.
And, I want to take stock of a few more things as well, let’s just say for a start, we have new tires on most of our vehicles (Ha!), we know we can survive and thrive in rain and shine (Ha Ha), and each of you Burgins now have a Burn under your belt (priceless) so we will undoubtedly level up next year as we return to BRC.
Pretty soon we will begin our planning for next year’ Burn.
For now, just three final thoughts I want to share with you and the Burner community:
1) Sam Heidorn (Poss Sam) you were the long pole in the tent 💥 — thank you for everything you did.
2) While some of you may not have met and/or know another FCKD|FIXD Campmate who could not make it with us this year, I want to acknowledge a man who poured himself into our project from head to toe both day and night for 6 weeks straight. He was core to the build out of our trailer and so extend a heartfelt shout out to my friend Matt Johnson (aka Mr. Big). He was the missing man this year, and I very much look forward to Burning with him next year. Thanks Matt!!!
And 3 (finally!), I am stoked over today’s inception of a F|F BM figure (public unveiling to come later). It’s outstanding, and I absolutely love the accompanying moniker “Sick Minds – Sick Talent.” Oh so right, and oh so fucked!!
My salute to all of you … FCKD FIXers. 🫡
Magento