The Gathering Of The Juggalos Leaving Southern Illinois For Dirtier, More Faygo-Stained Pastures

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Dec 2, 2013 7:10PM

Insane Clown Posse's Joseph "Violent J" Bruce with wife Michelle "Sugar Slam" Rapp and their 8-year-old son, Joseph "JJ" Bruce II at the 2013 Gathering of the Juggalos. (Photo credit: Jim Kiernan)

The Southern Illinois town of Cave-in-Rock won’t be overrun by Faygo-swilling, nipple-slicing, scantily clad, multi-generational fans of Insane Clown Posse next year after organizers for the Gathering of the Juggalos announced they secured a new location for the annual event.

Jason Webber of Psychopathic Records Inc. wouldn’t offer any more information to the Southern Illinoisan except that the festival would not be held in Hogrock Campgrounds. Cave-in-Rock has been home to the Gathering since 2007 and attracts nearly 10,000 people for the five-day event. The news was first broken by rapper Robert “Jumpsteady” Bruce, brother of Insane Clown Posse member Joseph “Violent J” Bruce.

The Gathering’s time in Cave-in-Rock has often been marred by reports of deaths, injuries (some not self-inflicted) and minor offenses including disorderly conduct and drug arrests, as well as heightened scrutiny by law enforcement officials after the FBI declared Juggalos a street gang in their 2011 gang threat assessment report. One man died at the 2013 Gathering of a drug overdose; his body was found in a tent with four other sleeping men.

Another possible reason for relocating the Gathering is monetary concerns. Although the festival was an economic boost to Cave-in-Rock’s economy, Psychopathic Records bounced several checks to vendors for the festival totaling in the hundreds of thousands of dollars including a donation to the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office for protective vests, stun guns and other equipment.