It was a lovely day in the neighborhood. Beginning sometime around 3 a.m. Saturday, July 23, the passionate, the curious and the hopeful began gathering in Ketchum and Hailey to receive free tickets to attend the Dalai Lama's "Healing Address" scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 11, at the Wood River High School football stadium in Hailey.
When folks generally think of long lines they conjure up anxious line-jockeying, frustration and interminable shuffling. But even for those who arrived before the sun came up, it was a morning of calm, joy and utter amazement.
Indeed, the people who waited in line were all there with the good intentions the organizers of the event have promoted all along. Positive feelings spread through the long line as the sun came up and warmed those gathered. Small pockets of Wood River Valley residents chatted and mingled like at any town function, albeit one with a spiritual overtone.
When people found out about having to fill out forms to get their allotment of four tickets each, many panicked but it was all for naught. The forms were merely to find out where ticket holders reside and how they planned to get to the function in Hailey. E-mail addresses garnered from the forms will be used to update attendees and encourage people to give away tickets if they're not using them.
The 10,000 tickets were essentially spoken for by 7:30 a.m., handed out beginning at 8 a.m. and gone by 11 a.m. When it became apparent the tickets allotted for Ketchum would not be adequate to meet the demand, people in line were told to head south to line up at Wood River High School in Hailey, the second ticket venue.
In Hailey, hundreds of people at the back end of a line that snaked out of view were unable to secure tickets, as were those who arrived later in the morning.
"We slowed down the distribution a bit at the end to make sure everybody who was in line (and had filled out a form) actually got one," event Public Relations Director Renée Kline said. "One of the things we noticed was there weren't any crying babies or screaming kids. It was beautiful. We had no dog fights and there were lots of dogs. We had more than 60 people volunteering at both locations, plus paid staff."
Kline added that press releases were issued on Saturday to radio stations and The Idaho Statesman in Boise stating that all the tickets had been released. Originally, it had been announced tickets might be released both Saturday and Sunday.
"The last gal in line (in Hailey), a woman and her daughter, met and befriended the two people behind her from Boise," Kline said. "When she realized they wouldn't get a ticket, she gave two tickets back for them. It was just beautiful and showed a lot of compassion."
Dalai Lama's Healing Address
· The address will take place Sunday, Sept. 11, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Wood River High School football stadium.
· People are encouraged to ride bikes, walk or carpool.
· Park-and-ride lots will offer shuttles to the venue. The northern park-and-ride lot will be north of Hailey at the junction of Buttercup Road and state Highway 75. The southern park-and ride lot will be in Bellevue at the junction of Gannett Road and state Highway 75.
Prohibitions and restrictions:
· Prohibited by law: alcohol, tobacco, drugs, weapons of any kind, incendiary devices of any kind, dangerous or disruptive behavior.
· Restricted by the event's organizing committee: cameras, recording devices, glass or cans, backpacks, large bags, cookers, picnics, banners, posters, flags, signs, amplification equipment or noisemakers, outside food or beverage except water bottles, animals except service animals, bikes, scooters, skateboards, skates, strollers, umbrellas, poles and chairs of any kind. Also restricted will be: unauthorized fliers, brochures or merchandise, unauthorized collection or commercial activity, use of mobile phones during the address for any reasons including taking pictures or recording.
Blankets are allowed for sitting. People with accessibility requirements will have seating in the bleachers.
For more information on the Dalai Lama events, visit www.hhdlvisitssv.com.
After receiving her allotment of four tickets, Niki Schmidt happily showed them off. She had arrived at approximately 5:15 a.m., after driving to the Wood River Valley from her home in Boise. "I like to be a lifelong learner and open my mind," she said. Photo by Willy Cook
