April 24th 1965 Each Saturday there was a big party at La Honda That Kesey and the Pranksters would spend all week prepairing for. The woods were wired for sound, with speakers suspended in the trees and microphones hidden in the bushes, and everything was controlled by a complex sound mixing and recording system. There were sculptures in the garden, a stage in a little amphitheater behind the house, complicated lighting systems: everything was designed to amaze and confuse. The Pranksters ran around with their faces painted wearing American flags or goggles. Everything was spiked with acid. The police would park outside, but they couldn't enter the property without a warrant. As soon as anyone left the property, they would be pulled over and thier car would be searched. Even rental cars were ticketed for some minor infraction Neal Cassady would stand in the bushes near the road, stark naked, haranguing the police with his mile-a-minute motormouth. LSD was still legal, but the police had a good idea of what else they might find if they could only get in. The raid came on April 24th 1965, when eighteen cops searched the place for pot. They found Kesey trying to flush it down the toilet. He and fourteen Pranksters were arrested on charges of Marijuana possession and Kesey was additionally charged with resisting arrest and operating a premises where Marijuana was furnished. After fifteen court appearances the charges against the other Pranksters were dropped and Kesey was given a suspended sentence on the condition that he would no longer associate with the other Pranksters. It was towards the end of the summer that Kesey met the Hells Angels. He was introduced by Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, who was living on the Haight and writing a book about them. Against Thompsons advice, Kesey invited them down to La Honda for a party in early December and hung a fifteen-foot banner outside the property saying, "The Merry Pranksters Welcome the Hells Angels." The woods were filled with the roar of Harley Davidsons as forty or so Hell's Angels decended on the Kesey spread. The Pranksters had food and beer ready and, after a few joints, the Angels were persuaded to try LSD. Soon they were tripping wildly. The party lasted for two and a half days and continued on and off for months, untill Kesey, his wife Faye, their kids, and Mountain Girl all moved to "The Spread," Babbs' 400-acre place in Soquel, outside Santa Cruz. The septic tank at La Honda had backed up and there were too many Hell's Angels around even for the Pranksters liking.
I might post the may 23'd entry from lewis and clarks journal because of this.... and I still want to know what sort of dimmers they were using.....
I just posted this purely for out of the blue interest. Sonney Barger from the Berdoo chapter of the Hells Angels might know what dimmers they were using. But he has difficulty talking because of the little hole in his windpipe. Tobbaco bad,............
