Greeters Greet…at Black Rock City

I was reading a story on GoNOMAD about Burning Man, and came across this description of how the Greeters greet the new denizens of Black Rock City every Labor Day.

Sometimes wearing nothing but a smile, Greeters are dedicated to providing useful answers to all questions. Starting with our specialized greeting equipment that enables us to provide up-to-the-minute weather reports (“It’s been pretty dusty”), Greeters have enlightened tens of thousands of new and returning participants and done so with notorious flair.

Faster than the 5 m.p.h. speed limit, able to leap tall RVs in a single bound, Greeters do their darndest to drive home the major issues of critical importance, not only to personal safety, but to the continued survival of the event itself. Greeters are experts on such topics as “Leave No Trace”, Camera Tags versus Media Registration, the latest word on Tiki-torches and other weapons of mass destruction. From the mundane to the profane, Greeters are adept at dispensing practical guidance and, if pressed, will zealously describe, in visceral, gut-clenching detail, the consequences when porta-potties are incorrectly utilized as depositories for items other than human waste. Well-versed in the guiding principles of the Prime Directive, Greeters are eager to engage discussion and clarify the concepts that define the atypical standards of our unique Burning Man community. In short, the mandated goal of our Greeter mission is the orientation and education of each and every arrival before setting them loose as newly indoctrinated citizens of Black Rock City.