Bare Facts
Copyright 2000 Lake Edun Foundation, Inc.
Official Publication of the Lake Edun Foundation, Inc.
October 1, 2003
Box 1982; Topeka, KS 66601 Voice Mail: 785-478-BARN e-mail: benude@lakeedun.com Website: www.lakeedun.com
Mark Holgard To Hold Benefit Concert
Mark Holgard, a new age artist well regarded in Colorado, is making a special trip to Topeka for a benefit performance on behalf of the Lake Edun Foundation legal defense fund. We are honored to have Mark in Topeka for this special event and hope all Eduners can join us.
The concert will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship located at 4775 SW 21st Street beginning at 3pm. Mark's music is an incredibly relaxing blend of sounds sure to please the jagged nerves of Eduners and our friends on this Saturday afternoon.
For more information on Mark's music, visit his web site at www.nakedexpressions.org. (Clearly, he is sympathetic to our cause) He will have CD's available for sale at the concert. We would like to attract other artists for benefit performances. To do so, we must have a stunning attendance at this one.
Cost for this concert will be $8/single; $12/couple for advance tickets. Price at the door will be $10/$15. Mark your calendar now so you don't miss this talented artist. Since this is a clothed performance, invite your friends. This is one more way to introduce them to LEF.
One Act Plays Being Judged
We received seven submissions for our first ever One Act Play competition. They came from as far away as New York, Arizona and New Mexico. We also received two entries from local talent. All manuscripts have been submitted to our judges who will select a group to be staged, hopefully in early November.
This observer read through most of the manuscripts and believes there are several entries that will reflect well on our effort to promote Naturism in the mid-west. We look forward to seeing them produced.
If any Eduners have an interest in trying out for a role in any of these plays, please let us know immediately. They will be a lot of fun to produce and view. We would not want any of our interested friends to miss out. We will insure you hear about tryouts and progress on the plays.
Halloween Party
This year, our fantastic annual Halloween celebration will be at the same location as last year. And it comes with plenty of ghosts. Festivities will begin at the conclusion of the business meeting on October 25 We will enjoy a pot luck dinner, and costume judging. Dream up your best, most creative, costume for this event. And who knows, maybe Nude Fusion will even show up again this year for some live music.
Our (g)host will provide pop, chips, dip, paper plates, napkins and plastic-ware. Eduners provide their favorite dish. Those who are able, please consider making a $10-$20 (or more) donation to our Legal Defense Fund.
Members will find directions enclosed. There will be limited space available for non-members. If your membership in LEF is not complete, use the form in this issue ofBare Facts to complete it. Members will find directions enclosed.
This is a wonderful setting to celebrate Halloween and will be a fun evening. If you missed last year, don't miss again!
Annual Meeting Scheduled
Our annual meeting will be held on October 25, just prior to our Halloween Party. We have this meeting every year to review our operation for the past year and get input from members about what they would like to see in the future. We will also elect a new Board of Directors. This is a wonderful opportunity for Eduners to learn more about our operation and make suggestions concerning what they would like to see in the future.
All Eduners should consider a position on our Board. Elsewhere in this issue is a listing of Board responsibilities. Take time to review it and decide how you might make a meaningful contribution to our continued success. It is through the dedication of individuals who assist with their time and energy that we are able to provide a wonderful program and facility for our members to enjoy.
This meeting will mark the end of another great season for us. Each year our special place seems to become even more beautiful. Please take time to thank all the Board members who have contributed to make this a wonderful year. Members will find directions enclosed.
Activities designated HN are sponsored by Heartland Naturists
Oct 4; Sat; Evening; Private Party
Oct 9; Thurs; 7-9; Educational Tour for Allen Co. CC
Oct 11; Sat; 12-4; Work Day - Cancelled
Oct 11; Sat; 3-5; Mark Hofgard Benefit Concert
Oct 11; Sat; 6-8; Pot Luck Supper
Oct 11; Sat; 8-10; Sauna
Oct 17; Fri; 8-10; HN Swim in Lenexa
Oct 18; Sat; 8-10; Sauna
Oct 24; Fri; 8-10; Sauna
Oct 25; Sat; 6:30; Annual Meeting & Election of Board
Oct 25; Sat; 7:00; Halloween Party
Nov 1; Sat; 8-10; Sauna
Nov 8; Sat; 8-10; Sauna
Nov 15; Sat; 8-10; Sauna
Nov 21; Fri; 8-10; HN Swim in Lenexa
Nov 22; Sat; 8-10; Sauna
Nov 29; Sat; 8-10; Sauna
From The Mail Bag
Dear Lake Edun:
Saturday, September 27, dawned with a beautiful blue Kansas sky. My wife and I were excited about the work day coming at "our special place" and hoped we would get to meet more of the Lake Edun family. The weather could not have been much better for a work day! We arrived just a few minutes after noon! After signing in at the barn we quickly ate our lunch.
I mentioned to Webb that I had my saw with me and, seizing the opportunity, he quickly pointed out several dead or dying trees he wanted removed. After getting the saw from the truck I quickly removed my clothes and got to work! We had a wonderful afternoon working and enjoying the fresh air! The only thing that could have made it better was seeing a few more Lake Eduners!
This is our first year as members at the Lake, and our first year of social nudism period. My wife was a little hesitant Saturday as all of the other help were men! She had hoped that some of the women would be present also. She was impressed however with the guys who were present and did not feel threatened in the least. I had also hoped that more of the members would be present and we could expand our circle of associates and friends.
Hopefully in the course of the next year we will get to meet more of the members since it appears fall is now rapidly approaching and, with the coolness, our times at the lake will draw to a close.
We had a great first year. Those we got to meet were wonderful, kind and generous with their time and help. Hopefully next year will be even better!
- Ernie
Accurate History In Tennessee
We have recently learned that the people of the great state of Tennessee can teach the modest citizens of the great state of Kansas a lesson in history. As reported in these pages last November, Kansas set the very beautiful Ad Astra statue atop our capitol dome. Not being inclined to allow historical accuracy to get in the way of our modesty, Ad Astra is draped in a loin cloth. Of course, the historical record clearly tells us that the plains natives were naked unless conditions dictated otherwise (winter, for example).
Now we learn that there is a mural on the walls of the office of the governor of Tennessee which depicts the history of that state. Either the artist did more research on his work than the creator of Ad Astra, or he was not as constrained. In either event, the mural shows that the Native Americans in that part of the continent fought nude. It is good to know that accurate history is important in some portions of our country.
Welder Needed
We have some small, but important welding projects to complete at our special place in the next several months. If you have portable welding equipment and are able to help us make some improvements, please contact us.
Link Possible Between Sun Exposure & MS
Stay in the sun too long and you increase your risk of skin cancer, but you may also decrease your risk of multiple sclerosis.
New research published in the British Medical Journal concludes that people who don't get enough sun, especially when they are children and teenagers, run a significantly higher risk of getting multiple sclerosis as adults. Conversely, those who get lots of sun as kids seem to be better protected from the disease, according a study conducted by Dr. Terry Dwyer of the University of Tasmania.
How much sun is needed? First, it's winter sun that counts - not summer. Kids ages 6 to 15 should get one hour of sunshine each weekend day and holiday in the winter to get the most benefit, reports the BBC News Online.
A disease of the nerves, multiple sclerosis can lead to a lack of muscle control and muscle strength, blurry vision, issues with balance, and numbness. It's cause is unknown. But doctors noticed that people who live in parts of the world that get less sun, especially areas further from the equator, have a higher incidence of the disease. That made them wonder if lack of sunlight might be a contributing factor to MS.
The study: Using volunteers from Tasmania, an area that gets little sunlight in the winter and has a high incidence of MS, Dwyer and his team of researchers compared 136 people under age 60 who had the disease with 272 people who did not have it. They questioned the volunteers about their sun exposure, including whether they used sunscreen and whether they took vitamin D supplements between the ages of 10 and 15. (Previous research has shown that vitamin D may protect against multiple sclerosis.)
The results: High sun exposure from the ages of 6 to 15 - when the immune system is still developing - provided a 70 percent drop in the multiple sclerosis risk. Exposure to winter sun offered more protection than summer sun. Those who had the greatest skin damage as a result of that sun exposure also had the greatest reduction in risk of acquiring multiple sclerosis. In addition, the researchers determined that people with fair skin had a greater risk of developing MS earlier in life.
Why does the sun offer protection from MS? The researchers speculate that there is a link between MS and insufficient ultraviolet radiation or vitamin D. Still, research leader Dwyer insists we still need to wear sunscreen. Unprotected exposure to the sun at any age is never warranted.
Items We Need
Don't Forget the Mark Holgard Concert October 11.
Random Thoughts & Reflections
At our most recent work day, we completed work at South Beach and Locust Grove. These areas have been secured for the season. When you visit our special place, please do not use either of these areas.
Astute readers will notice in the schedule that we are beginning regular, weekly saunas. Jon, Letty and Webb have agreed to share the responsibility. We will do this until the end of November on a trial basis. If members and friends seem to appreciate this and use it on a consistent basis, we will continue it; if no one shows up for weeks on end, we will reevaluate it. If you enjoy saunas, join us and bring your friends.
Don't forget our food drive to help the people who depend on Doorstep for assistance. This is a way that bare bodies can fill bare shelves. Anything you can donate will be greatly appreciated by Doorstep.
Nude Statue In Jamaica Draws Protests And Response
A new nude statue at a public site in Kingston Jamaica has attracted predictable protests on very predictable grounds. It also resulted in this thoughtful response by Mr. Ricardo Smalling.
THE ISSUE of "the nude statues" at Emancipation Park has been overworked but I could not avoid adding my two cents worth. After almost 170 years of "freedom" and 41 years of political independence, we look at a magnificent work of art and all we see is sex. We can understand why we are where we are as a people. Our ability to reason seems to be tied to sex and sexuality and everything has to be lowered to that level.
I have even heard church leaders on the radio suggesting that if the statues were in a museum they would react differently. In that case, what is the basis of your objection - pornography or public pornography.
We cannot appreciate a work of art because it is not clothed. Logic would dictate that if sin is why we are clothed, then clothes are the "prison" imposed on us by sin. If we as Christians are truly free from sin, then nudity should be the ultimate symbol (pure non-sexual nudity) returning to our free and untainted state as we were created. If we are truly in tune with God, we should be able to see the human form without reducing the Almighty's great work to sex.
As people of God I would have thought that we would have seen more of the symbolism of this piece but we are apparently still being confined by this world. We need to elevate our reasoning above the waist.