By Jon Chown
Capitola resident Jen Dugan celebrated her birthday on May 4 and threw a party for more than 3,000 people the weekend before, but not for her birthday.
Dugan was one of the two producers who led more than 200 volunteers in creating the 14th annual UnSCruz, Santa Cruz County’s regional sanctioned Burning Man event. Only, since Santa Cruz is weird, it’s held in Tres Pinos now, after leaving the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds four years ago.
UnSCruz co-producers Jen Dugan and Ronnie Boose.
It was the first year Dugan, along with Santa Cruz resident Ronnie Boose, produced the event. She said she’d never done anything like it before.
“We’ve thrown house parties. I’m an executive assistant, so I’ve organized some corporate events, but nothing like this,” she said.
There aren’t many things like UnScruz, which describes itself as a four-day, three-night campout celebrating art, fire, music and community. It’s built entirely by participants and there are no vendors. Instead, people come both self-prepared and ready to share. Camps are created around themes and often offer free food, drinks, a place to dance or something to experience. Artists are provided grants to bring their work to the event and share their work, which is often interactive.
The weekend culminates with the burning of an effigy on Saturday night, complete with a fire dancing show before and a fireworks show during as the effigy is stuffed with them. This year’s effigy was a cat, an ode to the founder and longtime producer of the festival Leslie Berman of Santa Cruz.
“It’s not a festival, it’s an event,” Dugan said. For Dugan, the biggest draw is the friends she’s made and new friends she makes each year.
Attendees gather around the famous art car El Pulpo Magnifico, created by Humboldt County artist Duane Flatmo.
“I just think it’s an amazing community,” she said. “We had 220 staff members this year, a rock star staff. The artists were amazing. Every year it gets better and better.”
Most everybody seemed to agree on that. Andy Smith, who came down from the Bay Area to attend, said the event offers people a chance to experience what Burning Man is all about who might not be able to spend a week in the desert.
“It’s the big burn without the elements, stress and time commitment,” he said. “UnScruz gives me and my wife the chance to re-connect with good friends and every year we make new, wonderful connections. The weekend is filled with creativity, fun and dancing.”
“I know a lot of people that just can’t go to Burning Man and this is the next best thing,” said Dugan.
The effigy burns on Saturday night.
Last year, Dugan’s birthday was on the last day of the event and this year it was the day after it was over. Between the two dates, she spent countless hours working on this year’s UnSCruz. She said without Boose’s help and her husband Sean’s support, she’d never been able to do it.
“It was beautiful watching all these people just enjoying it. It made it all worthwhile,” she said.
TOP PHOTO: A fire dancer performs on Saturday night before the effigy is burned. • Photo Credit: Andy Smith