2003

• August 25 - September 1: Burning Man, Black Rock Desert, Nevada.
  The Kansas Refugee Camp decided to throw a local burn event when they got home.
• September 11: Zay started the MWB Yahoo Group and Midwest Burners was founded.
• October 11: The first HullabalU, a free event outside of Lawrence, Kansas in Johnny Carcaz's yard.
  • Effigy: Scarecrow Man
  • Participants: approx. 80
  • HullabalU 2003 Volunteer Hall Of Fame
  • Photos
  If you weren't there, you missed great decorations, art (blacklight too), bonfires, DJs, dance & psytrance, drummers, firespinners, a huge full moon, costumes, and a groovy crowd. The Scarecrow Man burned at midnight.
  

  HullabalU 2003 Recap, as printed in Jack Rabbit Speaks

  Jack Rabbit Speaks
  Burning Man's Official Newsletter
  
  RECAP OF KC'S AFTERBURN MASTERPIECE
  
  A handful of folks from the Kansas City area made the pilgrimage to Burning Man this year. While on the playa, we decided to bring the Fire back home with us. Since then, a small burner community has formed. We held our first decompression on October 11th outside Lawrence, Kansas. We dubbed this event our "HullabalU", which means, "a confused noise; uproar; tumult. A disturbance usually in protest." The final concept was, "HullabalU: the party starts with YOU."
  
  The HullabalU was a tremendous success! We were rained on early that day while we put up this giant parachute our playa neighbor Tom gave us. (Thanks Tom!) But we held out hope for decent weather as we were covered in playa dust mud from the chute. We ended up with a beautiful clear Autumn night complete with a full glowing moon. Area DJs, Clandestine, Tha Carcaz and AC rocked us throughout the night with psytrance, jungle and downtempo sounds. At midnight, fire dancers from the local group, 3rd Degree Burn, mesmerized us. They ended their performance by lighting the scarecrow Man to the sound of the local West African drum circle, Djembe Kaan. The scarecrow Man proudly burned for a very long time before falling. His remains became the tribal bonfire.
  
  The whole experience felt like a piece of BRC had landed in Kansas! Participants were even randomly dusted with playa dust, from this year's Burn. The amazing thing was how many of our friends who hadn't ever been to Burning Man, thought of novel ways to participate. Even the neighbors, coming back from the strip clubs, wandered by and hung out with us. The atmosphere was thick and magical.
  
  We plan to have more HullabalUs and other assorted happenings between Burns. If anyone is interested, especially burners from our region, we have a Yahoo Group at:
  
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MidwestBurners
  
  Please post an introduction when you join because lurking is not participating!

2004

• April 23-25: Our first InterFuse, the Midwest Regional Burn, at Ozark Avalon in Boonville, Missouri.
  • Theme: Can we make this thang happen??
  • Effigy: Wheaty
  • Participants: 186
  • InterFuse 2004 Volunteer Hall Of Fame
  • Photos
  • Videos
  We burned Wheaty, a man shaped structure that had wheat bundles for hands. Wheaty later became the Midwest Burners' symbol.
• June 24: The Midwest Burners website goes online. http://www.midwestburners.com
• August 27-29: Castaway, our first orphan burn, at Camp Gaea in McClouth, Kansas.
  We camped on "The Ridge" and partied through a storm of monumental proportions. Organized by Aldric and Celebration.
• September 9-10: HullabalU II, at the Tribal Vision farm outside of Lawrence, Kansas.
  • Theme: Celestial Disembarkment
  • Effigy: Prairie Grass Spaceman
  • Participants: approx. 140
  • HullabalU 2004 Volunteer Hall Of Fame
  • Photos
  The size of HullabalU expanded from the previous year to include more attendees and camping areas near the lake. Prairie Grass Spaceman (with an alien pumplin head) watched over the event until midnight when he went up in flames amid crouds of dancers and drummers. HullabalU II was a great success and went all night long. The event was inundated by clueless partiers so MWB decided to focus on quality and organic growth, not quantity. We also decided to not wear ourselves out with Association organized burn and pre-burn performances at future HullabalUs.

2005

• January 10: Midwest Burners adopts Articles of Association and became a non-profit social and recreational association.
• May 13-15: InterFuse 2005, at Ozark Avalon in Boonville, Missouri.
  • Theme: Mad Science
  • Effigy: Der FrankenMann
  • Participants: 383
  • InterFuse 2005 Volunteer Hall Of Fame
  • Photos
  • Videos
  We burned Der FrankenMann, a conglomeration of independently created appendages attached to a torso and swiveling table.
• August 26-28: Castaway 2005, at Ozark Avalon in Boonville, Missouri.
  • Effigy: The Palm
  • Participants: approx. 220
  • Photos
  Our palm tree effigy had big, cardboard fronds and it burned from the top down. Organized by Aldric and Celebration.
• October 8-9: HullabalU 2005, at Ozark Avalon in Boonville, Missouri.
  • No theme or association-organized effigy burn
  • Participants: approx. 80
  • HullabalU 2005 Volunteer Hall Of Fame
  • Photos
  The event was still free, but now participants had to pay Ozark Avalon a camp fee. Only open to members and their guests.

2006

• May 5-7: InterFuse 2006, at Ozark Avalon in Boonville, Missouri.
  • Theme: The Archaic Imagination
  • Effigy: The Pantheon
  • Participants: 486
  • InterFuse 2006 Volunteer Hall Of Fame
  • Photos
  We burned The Pantheon, a cross shaped platform and gallows frame that supported myraid personal effigies, gods, and mythical creatures.
• June 16: The IRS recognized Midwest Burners as a 501(c)(7) tax exempt non-profit organization.
• August 25-27: The orphan burn was renamed Shipwrecked and organized by Tony Kaos and co-organized by FD. The event also included children for the first time.
  • Photos
• October 14-15: HullabalU 2006, at Ozark Avalon in Boonville, Missouri.
  • No theme or association-organized effigy burn
  • Participants: 166
  • HullabalU 2006 Volunteer Hall Of Fame
  • Photos

2007

• May 3-6: InterFuse 2007, at Ozark Avalon in Boonville, Missouri.
  • Theme: The AfterLife?
  • Effigy: Pyre-amid
  • Participants: 710
  • InterFuse 2007 Volunteer Hall Of Fame
  • Photos
  • Videos
  We burned the Pyre-amid, a spiral staircase set on top of a pyramid. The Pyre-amid was our first climbable effigy. A fourth day was added to the event and ticket prices increased to $25 to cover the additional expense.
• July 31: InterFuse was permanently set for the first weekend in May every year.
• August 18-19: Shipwrecked 2007, at Ozark Avalon. Maev organized it with assistance from Mooncrest and FD. The event was again all ages.
• September 15: Minors Policy at Association-organized events changed and resolved.
• October 13-14: HullabalU 2007, at Ozark Avalon in Boonville, Missouri.
  • No theme or association-organized effigy burn
  • Participants: 121
  • HullabalU 2007 Volunteer Hall Of Fame
  • Photos
  • Largest Art Burned: The Shape, by Lohr

2008

• May 1-4: InterFuse 2008, at Ozark Avalon in Boonville, Missouri.
  • Theme: Technophilia/Technophobia
  • Effigy: The Television
  • Participants: 770
  • InterFuse 2008 Volunteer Hall Of Fame
  • Photos
  We burned The Television, a giant wooden effigy that also served as a performance stage for three days before it was ignited. Pre-burn pyrotechnics were increased this year. Formal parking areas were created to preserve the land.

2009

• April 30 - May 3: InterFuse 2009, at Ozark Avalon in Boonville, Missouri.
  • Theme: Aquatic Inferno
  • Effigy: The Sea Serpents
  • Participants: 882
  • InterFuse 2009 Volunteer Hall Of Fame
  • Photos
  What began with rain and mud turned into beautiful weather long before we burned The Sea Serpents. The Main Effigy burn time was moved back to 10:00 PM. Pre-burn pyrotechnics were increased again this year, notably, a series of explosions that began the burn. The muddy road made some off-site parking necessary.