Bare Facts
Copyright 2000 Lake Edun Foundation, Inc.
Official Publication of the Lake Edun Foundation, Inc.
August 1, 2003
Box 1982; Topeka, KS 66601 Voice Mail: 785-478-BARN e-mail: benude@lakeedun.com Website: www.lakeedun.com
Special Labor Day Activities Planned
In recognition of all the effort Eduners have put forth for the past season, we have some very special activities planned for labor day. And, as is always the case, one can never be sure what spontaneous events may arise.
On Sunday, August 31 beginning at noon, we will host a special interactive event (if you don't want to play, you're welcome to spectate). Kingdom of the Crimson a medieval fighting group (foam padded weapons) will be engaging in medieval combat "au natural".
Eduners may watch this event. They will learn about medieval weapons and combat and have lots of fun "killing" friends (ever die in a glorified pillow fight?)
Nude fighting, by the way, was practiced back in medieval times by The Celts...... To fight all you need is a valid driver's license (ID) and sign a release waiver. Children 13-17 years of age are welcome to play but will need a signed parental consent form. Waivers/forms will be available on site the day of the event.
This is the battle group Beth and Lane have done so much story telling about so we hope to see everyone the last Sunday in August for this special event.
Private Party Scheduled
Just a reminder: Lake Edun will be closed from noon on Thursday August 8 until evening August 10 for a private party. Only those who have RSVP'd to an invitation will be permitted at our special place.
Some Eduners may have received an invitation to the party. If you have, be certain you mail in your RSVP. Do it today!
Random Thoughts & Reflections
Mulberry season has drawn to an end. Although a late Spring freeze damaged the crop somewhat, it seemed that nearly all Eduners took advantage of the tasty Mulberries we did have. No doubt they sweetened many bowls of cereal and found their way into many pies. Now our cherries and Sand Hill Plumbs are ripe. Don't miss the harvest.
With the thermometer topping 100, its hard to believe that sauna-season is fast approaching. Be sure to take advantage of these relaxing evenings this season.
Desert Shadows in Palm Springs, CA recently celebrated the opening of the nation's only naturist bridge. The span crosses over a main Palm Springs road allowing visitors to the up-scale resort to pass between sections of the property. City Fathers in Palm Springs, who recognize the economic benefit naturist recreation has to their economy, took part in the ceremony.
Wedding Marks Independence Day
Charles and Shyla choose July 4th as the day of their wedding. A score of Eduners and about a dozen guests in their wedding party witnessed the ceremony.
As the sun was headed toward the horizon, everyone gathered by the lake. The bride looked stunning with beautiful flowers and the groom was handsome with a formal tie. Pastor Nancy and her assistants conducted a solemn and meaningful service for the couple.
Following the ceremony, everyone relaxed on the water's edge for our traditional firework's display from the island. Thanks to all who contributed to our collection of pyrotechnics and a special thanks to the children of Eduners who orchestrated the display.
Race Of Belenos
By Dick Williams
Sun Run 3 is over - the last runner (that was me at a walk) crossed the finish line about 52 minutes after Doug fired the starting gun. Everyone had a good day in the Kansas sunshine.
We had 26 registered runners and walkers however there were a few no shows so the actual field was I think 21 - about the same as in past years but a somewhat more diverse field. We had a total of four female runners this year. Great to have enough so we needed more than one prize. Our youngest ever participant at age 2 1/2 - great to have the whole family taking part.
Weather couldn't have been better - the course was spic and span thanks to the work of the host organization. Lots of prizes and mementos compliments of the Naturist Society. The Race was held this year in conjunction with National Nude Recreation Week - a fitting time to highlight midwest nude recreation.
Thanks to everyone who turned out for the event - runners. walkers and helpers. It came together quite nicely once again.
The winner of the race itself was Tom - our 3 time winner in fact - with a time of 19 minutes and some seconds.
Activities designated HN are sponsored by Heartland Naturists
Aug 2; Sat; 10-12; Board Meeting
Aug 2; Sat; 12-3; Open House
Aug 2; Sat; evening; Chicken Dinner
Aug 8-10; Closed for Invitation Only Private Party.
Aug 10; Survivor Games
Aug 15; Fri; 8-10; HN Swim in Lenexa
Aug 22-24; Good bye to Summer Family weekend
Aug 31; Dagorhir
Sept 13; Sat; 10-12; Board Meeting
Sept 19; Fri; 8-10; HN Swim in Lenexa
Sept 27; Sat; 8-10; Sauna
Board Reaffirms Policy
Several members and others expressed their opinion concerning our policy on genital piercings. After a lengthy discussion in which all sides appeared to receive fair consideration, the board voted to reaffirm its policy prohibiting genital piercing at LEF functions. This applies to any piercing between the knees and the navel,
We thank all who took time to express their position on this important matter.
From The Mail Bag
Dear Lake Edun:
Thanks for the great weekend and your hospitality. We really enjoyed ourselves and the people we met. ...
You have a fabulous facility that is obviously well maintained and respected by the members. Something the four of us appreciated and wish to participate in the future.
- Kevin & Ej and Graham & Tracy
Dear Lake Edun:
My wife has been hesitant about my attraction to naturism for some time. She understands why I am moving to this idea, but raised by very strict parents who, along with other well intentioned adults, taught her all through her youth what the terms of modesty were, finds it difficult remove her clothes even in front of her own late teen/early twenty children.
We found the main beach and put our things on a table. I immediately stripped off my shorts and shirt to test the water! The water temperature was wonderful! I waded in and turned to see my wife peeling out of her clothes to come and join me! She has never been skinny dipping or even openly naked in such a "public" place before. After about 30 minutes in the water we ventured out on some of the paths. We heard voices from one of the camp areas, she lost her nerve and turned back to the beach. I could see the other beach, and wandered over to look it over. I noted several tents and a small group of people going about the business of breakfast. Not wanting to be intruding, I walked by.
Steph was concerned about burning and so put my shirt on before we took the other direction for a walk. We ended up walking all the way around the lake! Which of course brought us back to the same camp area she had avoided earlier! This time she walked with me through, and as mentioned above had the conversation with the two gentlemen. Later she was surprised at how normal, innocent, open, (I know you get this all the time!) the whole thing was!
She confided in me later that it was a beautiful place. She enjoyed being nude with me in great outdoors. She is still uncomfortable being in the presence of others, who are also nude. I hope she will join me again at your very special place.
Again thanks for being there. I hope your independence day went wonderfully. July 4, 2003 was truly an independence day for Steph and I as it marked our first "socially nude" experience. - Ernie
Play Shows Off More Than Emotion
Adapted from The Daily Illini
The 14 performers of Paradise Now accomplished their goal of baring their souls on stage by performing in the nude. Paradise Now was a form of experimental theater that forced the audience to confront a barrage of emotions and images that go against the barriers of society.
"I chose to work with this play because it was an opportunity to try something that has been done before, so we know it works, but it is stuff you don't see in America anymore," said Josh Arteaga, director of Paradise Now.
"The play is a lot about freedom within social context," Arteaga said. "It focuses a lot on sexuality, but not as people being sexual objects but instead seeing their bodies for their human form."
To emphasize the freedom of the actors, they performed almost entirely in the nude.
"The play specifically says that it should be performed in the least amount of clothing allowable," Arteaga said. "I didn't force that on the actors, I kept it as part of their process if they wanted to go nude they could. It's not the most important part of the play."
Actor Colleen Klein, said acting in the nude was a little scary at first. "Acting nude is very vulnerable," she said. "But the cast is insanely close and it is easy to be comfortable with one another. No one is looking at your flaws or imperfections."
Marie Walker said the closeness of the ensemble made it easier to perform nude. "Working with them is a safe zone because there is so much trust." She said performing nude is always extremely liberating. "The show is all about pushing freedom, personal and societal and finding where you fit in." She concluded "Actions speak louder than words."
Actor Samuel Gaines wanted to participate in Paradise Now because it was something that had not been done in Urbana-Champaign. "(Working in the nude) is very freeing but in the end it's just a body, you get over it," Gaines said. "The show is about a journey in which we question and break society's constraints. As a person, I'm pretty conservative and working in this show has just opened me up so much and has put me on a personal journey in life."
Arteaga said he hopes the audience of Paradise Now walks away affected by the performance. "There is a lot of raw visceral emotion," Arteaga said. "We hope to get people to argue about the issues that the play brings up and then allow them to reach their own conclusions."
"In the end, it's kind of silly that we feel we can't take our clothes off in front of another person," Arteaga said.
Items We Need
Get Naked! It's Good For You
Being naked is healthy. That's the message the national naturist organization is delivering in Saskatchewan. It's part of a two-month tour promoting the benefits of nudity.
Malcolm Scott is driving a motor home across Canada this summer, encouraging people to take off their clothes. "We weren't meant to have them (clothes) on," he said.
"It's completely billboarded on both sides with a beautiful pastoral scene," says Scott. "Trees and a lake and blue sky. And on one side is a nude family sitting enjoying that. And we want people to understand that Naturism is for wholesome nude living."
The advantages are many, says Scott. Different social groups are on an equal footing in naturist settings which provides improved social interaction, he said. "You can see them for who they are. They're all treated the same."
Scott said his daughters are two of the most well adjusted individuals anywhere. "It's because they were raised as nudists," said Scott, who has been a naturist for 32 years.
The body needs sunlight to produce vitamin D and its natural cooling system malfunctions when clothes are on, Scott said. In recent survey, 6.1 million Canadians admit to going nude at the cottage, beach, or home and he claims theose who like to strip probably exceed that number.
Scott says the tour is intended to create awareness about Naturism, but it also is aimed at reminding people that being nude has nothing to do with being sexual.
"The concept that Naturism is sexual, is strictly a textile perspective," he says. "It's not a naturist perspective. Textiles are people who wear clothing all the time. You call us Naturists, we call you textiles, that's how it goes."
He said women are treated more equally in naturist settings than in the rest of society. Revealing clothing is more sexual than nudity. "Clothing is a tease," he said.
Scott says he'd like to see society become more accepting of nudity in all situations. He works at home, often without clothing, and he thinks other people should do it too.
Do We Need Another Law?
Recently, the city fathers of Willimanic, CT proposed an ordinance aimed at a proposed strip club. The wording for the ordinance was taken from one already on the books in Erie, PA.
Town Selectmen anticipated strong public support for the indecency ordinance to go along with the public damnation of the strip club application. However, when about 20 residents and some out-of-town nudists turned out to oppose the ordinance, the city fathers quickly changed their tune. When the vote was taken, the measure went down to near-unanimous defeat.
"It's going to become ridiculous," resident Dawn Niles said, "because peoples' concept of what's indecent is going to dictate what's enforced."
"I don't see why we need an ordinance," Willimantic resident Harry Carboni said. "Let the marketplace speak."
If people in the town are really against a strip club, they won't visit it, he said, and it would close down for lack of business.
"How many laws have been passed with good intent? We're almost going back to a Puritanical type of thing in New England where you're trying to be our parents…we don't need more laws…I don't need government to police my morality," Carboni said.
Nudists More Neighborly
by Trudy Sanderson, Gulf Coast Nudist Resort, Hudson
My husband, George, and I are retired, although I do volunteer work for the Sheriff's Office and work taking care of senior citizens. We have lived in a nudist resort for many years (notice I said resort not colony). In my work with senior residents, I am exposed to many other lifestyles such as mobile home communities, assisted living facilities and condominium resorts, so I know firsthand one of the largest differences between our resorts and yours. In our resort we know all our neighbors, even ones several blocks away. Nudists always greet each other as we go about our daily lives. In the outside world, rarely have I been greeted by one of the neighbors of my clients.
One of my mottos (given to me by a friend) is "a family is a circle of friends who love you," and that is most true of life in our resort. If someone has a need, one of us is always there to lend a helping hand. If one of us needs a simple grocery item, we don't have to go to the store because we can borrow from a neighbor. If someone is ill, someone is there to assist. We are a much closer knit community and often work as a team when the need arrives.
As for children living in a nudist resort, you will never find a pinup magazine under their beds; our children are less likely to run away from home or become criminals; many grow up and become families who live in the resort. We have a neighborhood watch like you wouldn't believe. If a strange car or person enters our area, we always inquire as to their purpose. We live our daily lives just as anyone does, except for the fact that we do most of it in the nude.
Age & Trechery vs. Youth & Beauty
An old farmer had owned a large farm for several years. He had a large pond in the back, fixed up nicely; picnic tables, horseshoe courts, basketball court, etc. The pond was properly shaped and fixed up for swimming.
One evening the old farmer decided to go down to the pond, as he hadn't been there for a while, and look it over. As he neared the pond, he heard voices shouting and laughing with glee. As he came closer he saw it was a bunch of young women skinny dipping in his pond. He made the women aware of his presence and they all went to the deep end of the pond.
One of the women shouted to him, "We're not coming out until you leave!"
The old man replied, "I didn't come down here to watch you ladies swim or, make you get out of the pond naked. I only came to feed the alligator."
Moral: Old age and treachery will always triumph over youth and beauty.
Foley's Folly
By Dave Bitters
Being a social/ religious conservative must be an easy proposition - albeit frustrating.
People of this persuasion don't appear to worry too much about facts; they seem peculiarly unable to distinguish them from conjecture. However they DO worry. A lot. So much to oppose - so little time to oppose it all. It must drive them crazy.
Consider, for instance, the comments of Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) concerning the recent Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas: "If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual (gay) sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything."
One can imagine that Santorum fears the sky is falling, too.
Or, consider the frenzy into which Congressman Mark Foley (R. FL) whipped himself recently.
On June 19 the New York Times ran a story about a youth camp at the Lake Como Club in Lutz, FL. The article, "At Nude Youth Camp, Skin Is Bare but Lust Is Verboten," was the result of a public relations effort by the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR). It said, in part, "Here at the Youth Leadership Camp run by the American Association for Nude Recreation, the dress code for regular volleyball - and for the pudding toss, mini-golf and campfire sing-alongs - is the same as it is for skinny dipping. …
"Naked summer camp might strike non-nudists as illegal or prurient, or like striking a match to the gasoline of adolescent hormones. Anti-nudity statutes in Florida and other states, however, say that nudity on private property is perfectly legal, even among minors, as long as there is no lewdness. And camp rules, drawn up by campers themselves a few years ago, guard against that. 'Do not allow nudity and lust to mingle,' they state. 'No improper touch. Nudity must not be humiliating, degrading or promote ridicule.' Even the occasional clothing, worn in the camp's shuttle van, must not be 'sexually alluring.'"
For Foley this was of small comfort, though. He fired off a letter to Gov. Jeb Bush demanding that the latter look into the matter. St. Petersburg Times reporter James Thorner quoted him as saying, "'It's beyond the pale that this is a normal way to bring up a 14-year-old child.' Foley suggested the camps force kids to fixate on nudity during their impressionable, formative years. Normal teen sexual urges can become inflamed by the nakedness around them, he said.
"'It's putting matches a little too close to gasoline,'"
It turns out that Foley is a Republican candidate for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Bob Graham, who's running for the Democrat nomination for President.
Naturist Action Committee Area Representative Marvin Frandsen, responding to a column by Esther Hartstein, wrote, "Recently while reading the New York Times, Rep. Mark Foley of Florida learned the astonishing fact that nudists have children and raise their children to become nudists. Rep. Foley read this story because for several years AANR has realized that nudists needed to better inform the American public about nudism. The problem is that, in spite of the growing nudist market, too few people know anything about nudism. In the nudist view this is bad because nudists get tired of bad jokes, bad laws and trying to explain it all to non-nudists.
"A few weeks before he discovered nudism in the New York Times, the Honorable Rep. Foley, a self declared conservative and candidate for the U.S. Senate, had a political problem. Some folks who said they had reason to know said that Rep. Foley is a homosexual. Rep. Foley's response was that he would not dignify such an accusation with a response except that they should mind their own business. Rep. Foley's response was a great response. He should have left it at that. But he did not. Instead Rep. Foley had a Eureka moment and embarked on a crusade to protect his endangered candidacy by persecuting a group more vulnerable than homosexuals - families. In this case, nudist families."
Regardless of Foley's motives, he got the attention of Gov. Bush's General Counsel, Raquel Rodriguez. She responded to Foley's letter by writing, in part, that, "The Governor shares your concern for the well being of children in the state of Florida, and is troubled by the potential that exists for inappropriate or illegal behavior involving children who are nude in the presence of non-parental adults. …
"The Department of Children and Families is reviewing existing records to determine whether there have been any reports of criminal acts or child abuse related to these activities. As of this writing, we are unaware of any reports alleging child abuse, neglect or exploitation related to the camp, but the Department will continue with their fact-finding. …
"The rights of parents to impart their values to their children and raise their children as they see fit are sacred. But these rights require responsibility. The state has a duty to ensure that adults, including parents and those with whom parents associate, do not exploit children or put them at risk of physical, emotional, or psychological harm. …"
Thus, Foley initiated a witch-hunt.
Some might argue that his response to the New York Times article was natural and predictable. His web site states, in part, that, "He has also cosponsored legislation toughening the penalties levied at those who hurt children and, most recently, has joined forces with the Administration and Congress to fight child pornographers. He has both introduced and cosponsored legislation designed to eliminate child pornography and exploitive child modeling web sites."
But some in the Naturist and nudist community questioned his tactics. The Naturist Society's Judi Ditzler and Nicky Hoffman offered the following critique: "While only Foley knows whether this call is prompted by conviction or opportunism, we can say with certainty that the congressman is operating under a false premise. Nudity and sexual activity are not one and the same.
"Indeed, a more compelling argument is that nudity reduces sexual curiosity and acting out among young people by eliminating the mystery and titillation that the fashion, entertainment, and advertising industries so skillfully exploit. It is a virtual truism that the provocative beach clothing young people are given to wearing these days is more sexually arousing than simple nudity. Yet Foley would be rightly dismissed as a crank if he were to call for a ban on suggestive beach apparel.
Representatives of the Naturist Action Committee met with Foley and, following their meeting, offered the following: "Mark Foley was polite and attentive. He certainly was generous with his time. As a result … undoubtedly had his eyes opened to some facets of this issue. However, it's not clear how much he's willing to back off.
"Indeed, much of the damage has already been done. A state lawmaker in Texas has already filed a legislative bill to outlaw nude camps for children, and a Florida lawmaker has threatened to do the same. Both are direct results of the frenzy whipped up by Mark Foley with his unresearched and overblown reaction to the New York Times article.
"Even if Rep. Foley appears conciliatory at the moment, we must not lose sight of the fact that Mark Foley has not suddenly become a friend to naturists."
Nor was Foley the only social/political conservative ready to leap to tall conjectures at a single (unresearched) bound. On-line pundit Paul Walfield (www.usanewsandviews.com), who bills himself as "a freelance writer and an attorney with an undergraduate degree in Psychology and post-graduate study in behavioral and analytical psychology" offered this: "So just how long do you have to be nude to start believing that being clothed is what brings out a person's sexuality? Not to be glib, but if the kids who are enrolled in nudist camps and the parents that send them see no connection, perhaps not liking clothes is just a symptom of a far greater difficulty. …
"While some of the teens involved may find it not harmful, even wholesome to be running around nude with other teens and supervised by adults, 'watching' their every move; it is not. If anything, the fact that a group of teenage boys think the idea of a camp full of nude teenage girls is where they want to spend their summer vacation, only adds to the reasons why it is not a good idea. …
"More importantly, this doesn't have to be a question of morality, but rather of child safety and child endangerment. What parent of a preteen girl would like to see their child prancing around nude in the woods or bouncing around a volleyball court with a bunch of teenage boys who are also so attired? …"
The Concerned Women for America, a political affiliate of the so-called "Religious Right" was, well, "concerned." CWA columnist Martha Kleder wrote for their web page that, "A nudist summer camp for juveniles attending without their parents has raised concerns among state officials and lawmakers.
"'We're very concerned about this development, an atmosphere like that is very clearly an invitation to pedophiles,' Tim Murtaugh, press secretary to Virginia Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore, told The Charlotte Observer.
"But while concern is high, the hands of law enforcement are tied.
"'Nudist camps as such are not prohibited by law,' Richard Grizzard, commonwealth's attorney for Southampton County, told The Washington Times. 'If parents drop off their children there, there isn't [anything] I can do."
Naturists invited Foley to visit the camp at Lake Come Club, to get a better idea of whether his speculation had any basis in fact. He declined.
AANR's Executive Director Erich Schuttauf offered a position statement that said, in part, "As there is neither anything illegal or untoward about AANR's regional youth camps and its support for those camps, we will not be cowered into closing them by the specter of public debate or Mr. Foley's unfounded conjecture that our youth are at risk or that they cannot control themselves in the presence of other nude bodies."
How does Foley plan to check the veracity of this statement, given his refusal to visit the club? The most likely answer is, he doesn't. His mind was already made up. A fact-finding trip (one that would lose Brownie points with the social conservative power base he courts) would only confuse him with facts.
You'll forgive my redundancy if I say this incident seemed like déjà vu all over again. In February 1999 Phil Ellsworth, preacher at the Grace Christian Fellowship Church in Shawnee, petitioned the Shawnee-Mission School Board to discontinue showing Franco Zefferelli'sRomeo and Juliet in freshman English classes. He didn't have a problem with the 15 minutes or so of gratuitous violence in the film. But the 20 seconds of Leonard Whiting's bare cheeks and the 4 seconds of Olivia Hussey's headlights drove him ballistic. He characterized it as soft porn. (This differed from the regular variety, he explained, by being "just a little bit" pornographic.) The most dramatic moment in the special review committee hearing came when the student committee member asked him if he'd seen the film. "No," he remarked, explaining that he didn't need to. An article in the Kansas City Star reported him as saying condescendingly that, "... fact is, we're talking about teenagers, not adults."
Are children really at risk in nudist youth camps? These facilities are both rare and fairly new, so comparisons with clothed camp facilities are difficult to make. It's telling, though that Gov. Bush's attorney was unable to find evidence of any problems at the Lake Como camp. (She admitted this in a backhanded way in her letter.) Certainly, it would be difficult to establish that problem incidents would be any more frequent than, say, at Boy Scout Camps. Marvin Frandsen was a bit more pointed, about an institution that's having its own problems with children and sexual abuse: "Rep. Foley happens to belong to the church that is experiencing the worst child abuse scandal in United States history. Oddly Rep. Foley is not calling for investigations or special laws to stop child abuse in the Catholic Church. Why not? The churches, schools and the youth organizations Rep. Foley likes best are where my daughter is most in danger. Not nudist camps."
As Judi Ditzler and Nicky Hoffman pointed out, we have no idea what really motivated Foley to take on the nudist youth camps. We do know, though, that the modus operandi of the Religious Right (and those who court their votes) is to look for "hot-button" issues. These have the effect of energizing the power base and generating contributions.
Problem is, Foley's tactic may have backfired. Florida has one of the largest concentrations of Naturists/ nudists in the country, and some of them (e.g. Frandsen) are quite vocal. It will be interesting to see how Foley fares in his bid for the Republican senatorial nomination. He may discover that prejudice, like crime, doesn't pay.
Did You Know?
Henry M. Stone, known as the inventor of the 'dixie cup', was president of the American Sunbathers' Association, the predecessor to the AANR, and kept a cabin at Sunshine Park during the 1930's., a nudist facility in New Jersey.