Dangerous Outdoor raves hidden in Franklin County's backyard
TRI-CITIES, Wash. -- The raucous sounds of DJ's flashing lights and teens dancing the night away aren't just limited to a night club. KEPR learned Franklin County is hot on the trail of outdoor raves that spring up in the middle of nowhere. It's a great place to hide underage drinking and any age drug use.
Chase Rabadeau explains, "Basically loud bass sounds going on and it's just an excuse to get out and do drugs and not be normal."
You probably haven't heard much about raves in recent years. But they're still happening.
He continues, "I hear there's raves... All the time over in Seattle."
And in the Tri-Cities, too. The raves are just changing, going even further underground.
"Way out there.. kinda secret stuff," Chase says.
In the boondocks of Franklin County partiers set up fences, lights and loud music where no one can bother them. Chase Rabadeau is a student at CBC.He knows about the latest craze.
Chase tells KEPR, "I've been hearing about it more and more. Keeps getting more popular and more popular."
This isn't just kids meeting at Juniper Dunes for a secluded spot to drink. This is hundreds and hundreds of kids in their late teens, early 20's. Not just drinking, but using synthetic drugs. Out in the middle of nowhere, this is a serious danger.
Narcotics like ecstasy can be lethal even the first time they are taken.
There's no one to help in an emergency. And there may be no cell service in these locations, either. All of this makes these underground desert raves a priority for Franklin County Deputies.
"If we find them, or find somebody who's supplying them, we'll go after them with everything we have," deputies tell KEPR.
They want to end the resurgence of this fad before someone gets hurt.
Franklin County deputies told KEPR even with the uptick of synthetic drugs, officers most often find marijuana, pain killers and cocaine in our area.
Chase Rabadeau explains, "Basically loud bass sounds going on and it's just an excuse to get out and do drugs and not be normal."
You probably haven't heard much about raves in recent years. But they're still happening.
He continues, "I hear there's raves... All the time over in Seattle."
And in the Tri-Cities, too. The raves are just changing, going even further underground.
"Way out there.. kinda secret stuff," Chase says.
In the boondocks of Franklin County partiers set up fences, lights and loud music where no one can bother them. Chase Rabadeau is a student at CBC.He knows about the latest craze.
Chase tells KEPR, "I've been hearing about it more and more. Keeps getting more popular and more popular."
This isn't just kids meeting at Juniper Dunes for a secluded spot to drink. This is hundreds and hundreds of kids in their late teens, early 20's. Not just drinking, but using synthetic drugs. Out in the middle of nowhere, this is a serious danger.
Narcotics like ecstasy can be lethal even the first time they are taken.
There's no one to help in an emergency. And there may be no cell service in these locations, either. All of this makes these underground desert raves a priority for Franklin County Deputies.
"If we find them, or find somebody who's supplying them, we'll go after them with everything we have," deputies tell KEPR.
They want to end the resurgence of this fad before someone gets hurt.
Franklin County deputies told KEPR even with the uptick of synthetic drugs, officers most often find marijuana, pain killers and cocaine in our area.
I am one-hundred percent repulsed by this! I am a raver in the tri cities and that is not our scene! Shame on you trying to give us a worse rep then we did before. Â I am a sober raver we do not rave outside! We have venues, EVENT PAGES, and a very tight knit family. PLEASE remove this story it's honestly just p.a.t.h.e.t.i.c!
On the topic, I've seen first-hand the poor source-checking that occurs when some rabid journalist steps onto CBC campus. They latch onto the nearest student, regardless of whether or not they know much about the topic,ask them if they can film and smash out a few questions before the student even knows what's going on. I even ended up on the news once without my express written permission. You've officially gone from a somewhat credible news source in my eyes to a backwater local station that can't even keep up with industry standards.
Shame on you, KEPR, and your allowing of such speculative journalism.
Wow. Way to sensationalize and villainize something done responsibly and in good fun. Let's bring up metal shows. NOBODY drinks or does copious amounts of drugs there, right? People NEVER do cocaine in the stalls of nightclub bathrooms in this area, right? The writer of this piece needs to pick up a dictionary and look up the definition of UNDERGROUND. These are legitimate business ventures that have plenty of advertising, and publicity. You're low on things to write about now that the elections are over and you set sights on a misunderstood youth sub-culture. You have no semblance of journalistic integrity and it's very obvious you didn't do your research. By all means, come by one of the closely guarded, cloak and dagger, "underground" raves that are publicized on Facebook for the world to see. See it for yourself instead of relying on a secondhand account from someone that hardly knows what they're talking about. If you're going to make yourself out to be an investigative journalist, actually investigate.
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This is the most ignorant, misinformed piece I've EVER seen on the news.. Â With absolutely NO inside information about the story (The kid from CBC barely even knew what a rave was!)
You should probably get your facts straight before you put something up for everyone to see. The rave community is a large community, more popular among larger cities. It's a passion for people. Most of these underground raves here in the Tricities are for people who cant afford to go out of town, or can't wait for it. The raves are put on LEGALLY, and they check IDs. But, just like EVERY musical genre, it can attract people who want to drink and do drugs. People AT the raves WANT to put a stop to it, and they usually do a pretty good job regulating it. Your piece is highly misinformed and putting this on the news reflects poorly upon you. Terrible journalism.
Way to go, KEPR... Way to go.
Your move KEPR........
Cause I'll tell you guys something. Its not as underground anymore, and its not going MORE underground, there are raves and festivals popping up ALL of the United States, Freaknight, Resolution, EDC, Sensation, Beyond Wonderland, Identity, Paradiso, Lucky These festivals are pure Electronic music and gain tens of THOUSANDS upon Attendee's
so..... what you guys are telling me..... from what I understand, this kid you interviewed... has no knowledge of how shows are ran, how shows are put together, probably has NO understanding of what a Rave stands for and that's the representation that you're going to show. Raves are something that bring people together for the love of music, the magic of friendship, having a good time, and being a place of freedom from judgement from society standards. You are completely basing this report on stereotypical opinions and not facts. You want to do this story right??? you Interview DJs from the local are, you interview my Family of Ravers from the Tri-Cities, they will tell the real story, not this B.S trashtalking a lifestyle that is it's own reward.
Also what's funny, is how you want commenters to keep it truthful when your video isn't even truthful.Â
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Lol hypocrisy for the win?
Lol your facts, are so screwed up I'm not going to even bother with correcting you people. You disgust me.Â
Max, this is why I love you, bro. Raves really shouldn't be generalized, though. I personally am on my way to getting my degree in Chemical Engineering. I have never done, nor do I have any desire to do any drugs. Along with this, my fiancé is nearly complete with her Business Administration degree. She has no desire to do any form of drug, either. My brother is close to finishing up with his degree in Network Administration, and he's a newer DJ. He doesn't go out and do drugs, nor does he go around openly proclaiming that people should do drugs. And, contrary to popular belief, the people that underage drink, don't do it there. They do it before or after, and it's not due to raving, because they do it on a daily basis anyway. Those are also the same people that most of the attendees at the shows ignore. They don't drink because it's a rave, they drink because that's just what they've done for years. None of us judge them on it. A lot of us don't approve of it and try to help them. But if they will have none of it, we leave it at that and leave them alone to their own self-destructive habits. Furthermore, what people don't seem to realize about raving is that it's not just a bunch of random people who show up in one place and go crazy. It takes planning just like any concert does. On top of that, the attendees there are one giant family. I can point out and name the people that attend the shows, whether it be by their real name or by their rave name that supports their personality. And whenever any of the family sees each other in public, we give each other hugs and talk and are happy. This is more than I can say for most other scenes in any kind of situation. Ravers as a whole are just very kind and family-oriented people (evidenced by the fact that a lot of the people that go have children of their own that are very good kids). Just because raves were terrible in the past, does not mean that they are terrible now. That's like saying that minorities do not contribute anything to society based on the fact that in the past they did litte for society as a whole. But everyone knows that this is bull, and everyone has accepted that they are a large help in the world. But really, as I said, and as Max said, if you're going to criticize raving, do more research on it, and don't find one person to interview that has never been to a show. That's just as bad as Rolling Stone Magazine doing their article on one of the kandi kids from EDC. They didn't know what they were talking about, and thus their entire article was full of assumptions that were extremely far from the truth.
I would like to point out that I go to raves, I've been to one, of two outdoor raves that I have ever heard of here in Tri-cities, and I live with a DJ that is booked for all of them.  I go to school full time, am entering the nursing program at WSU-TC in January, work two part time jobs, and I have a lease that is not with my parents.  I am 21 years old, I've never taken synthetic drugs at a rave and I think this article is extremely generalized.  How dare the writer of this article for chastising someone saying, "Basically loud bass sounds going on and it's just an excuse to get out and do drugs and not be normal." Normal is a sociological concept, and we should encourage the youth of today to be different and express their interests and not set them into oppressive sociological constructs.  I understand the danger present with drug use, but the majority of "Ravers" that attend are sober and I have been going to raves in the tri-cities for a year and a half now.  There is a program called "DanceSafe" that educates ravers and party-goers on the dangers and risks of drug and alcohol use and abuse and is a great program.  I appreciate DanceSafe and what they do because I support their approach to raving.  You're not going to stop people from raving, ever, just like you won't stop the use of alcohol, ever, so you might as well educate the people that are going to these raves on what is safe and what is not.  Otherwise, you're just feeding the fire because ravers know people don't agree with the idea of raving, but they do it because it is an escape from what people think.  Do more research on the culture of raving before criticizing it.
If you guys are going to bash on all of the ravers, please get your facts straight, at least. I can guarantee that we do not have that many people at any show we have even remotely in this area. Ever. It just doesn't happen. And it's not nearly as bad as it was back when raving started. As for outdoor raves, that's funny. We've held one and that was months ago. If you could, please get your facts straight, or just leave us all alone. We're the most docile group in the world, moreso than potheads and hippies. And honestly, the people that are here and that are slowly self-destructing, are competely aware of what they're doing. We do not need you to broadcast false information about how we operate on the news.