July 19, 2004

Last modified July 19, 2004 - 1:32 am

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By MIKE STARK
Of The Gazette Staff

Randy Sherwood loves the unexpected - that shiver of joy from stumbling upon something better than you could ever imagine.

This weekend, he's hoping that hundreds of people will feel the same.

Sherwood, 26, is one of the principle ringleaders of "The Island," four days of art, music, freedom, fun and - in the best-intended sense - weirdness.

The second-annual experiment, marketed via flyers and the Internet as an "epic adventure," will include live music, sculptures, games, a light tunnel, a float down the Yellowstone River, domes to hang out in, interactive art creations and, most importantly, people executing their own creative ideas.

"It's less about showing up and being entertained and more about showing up and being entertaining," Sherwood said, perched over a cup of coffee at his mom's house in Billings. "We're trying to do something that's a little beyond the norm."

The Island will be held in Huntley. Last year, the first-ever festival was held on an island owned by Sherwood's dad near Park City.

His dad had other plans for the land this year, so Sherwood and others in a cooperative group called "Got It Together" scrambled to find a spot for this year's festivities.

Unlike last year, the new spot has a full kitchen, bathrooms, a stage, running water and electricity.

The all-ages event, which runs from July 22-25, puts a premium on self-expression, creativity and spontaneity. For some, that might mean body painting or fire dancing. For others it could mean impromptu musical jams or construction of an entire living room in the middle of a camping spot.

The Island is, in part, an alternative to hum-drum, corporate-sponsored events, Sherwood said.

"I really think everyone will find something that's inspirational or motivational," he said.

Organizers have several musicians lined up - everything from DJs and electronica to reggae and punk bands - but have decided not to release the names beforehand. Sherwood said they want people coming to the festival for the overall fun, not to see specific acts.

"I want people to be surprised when they get there," he said.

The festivities are modeled loosely after Burning Man, an annual gathering in a remote dry lakebed in Nevada that attracts more than 20,000 people each year.

Like Burning Man, The Island is an experiment in a temporary community where radical ideas, especially creative ones, are embraced as long as no one is harmed.

Sherwood, a 1996 graduate of West High who now has a business degree, sets up events in Santa Cruz, Calif. But last year, he wanted to bring something to Montana that most locals had never experienced.

About 350 people attended last year's event on the island near Park City. The ages ranged from 2 to 65 but most people were in their 20s. Contrary to concerns of some "worriers," as Sherwood calls them, there were no fights, no drunken driving and no injuries except for a scrapped knee and twisted ankle.

"Last year, I probably had 150 people come up to me and say it was the best party they'd ever been to," he said. "It was just such a positive vibe."

This year, participants will be arriving by car, train, plane and any other mode of transportation they can muster, Sherwood said. It will take about 250 people for the event to break even financially, he said, but more people are expected.

Alcohol can be consumed by those who are old enough, but it's not the point of the event.

Over the last several months, Sherwood and other organizers have been hustling to finalize plans, book musicians and secure endless supplies for the temporary structures that will pop up before and during the festival.

Consistent with the event's do-it-yourself ethic, Sherwood loves to nab, with permission, scraps of wood, electronics and other supplies that are thrown away at construction sites.

Some things, though, have to be bought.

"Our budget for zip ties and duct tape is probably $40 or $50," he said. "You can't do anything without those."

Sherwood hopes party-goers can share a meal or two. Attempts will be made to have organized breakfasts and dinners for a small price.

"People coming together to eat is one of the best things in the world," he says.

The weekend culminates in two ways Saturday.

The first is a 12-mile group float down the Yellowstone River between Colson Park and Huntley. Organizers already have 140 inner tubes and an 8-foot inflatable octopus and are encouraging participants to bring their own forms of floatation and use the "buddy system."

Headline bands will play Saturday night.

For Sherwood, The Island personifies his ideas of community, where people come together to build something mutually beneficial. It also satisfies his drive to create something from the ground up.

"I love to have a mission," he said. "My favorite thing in the world is doing stuff that's neat but doesn't cost a zillion dollars."

Details "The Island," a music and art festival, will be held in Huntley July 22-25. Tickets before the event are $25. At the gate, the entrance fee is $30. Details on ticket sales, directions and other information are at http://www.gotitogether.com/.