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The East Coast Hobo Gathering, September 17-18-19-20, 2003, in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania is celebrating it's 12th year on the old hobo jungle site at the railroad tracks and Second Street. The site is located on the campus of Perkiomen School, a middle and secondary, college preparatory school in operation since 1875.
    The gathering invites hoboes from across the country to "jungle up" and share their stories, music, poetry, and crafts. Our hobo attendance is expected to top 100 this year including depression era hoboes, present day hoboes, and other free spirits. We expect some top performers to attend including Liberty Justice, winner of the Folk Singer of the Year award, Rik Paleri, folk musician who appears at the Philadelphia Folk Festival and played on stage with Bruce Springsteen, Banjo Fred, folk educator and musician, Captain Dingo, the train riding, guitar carrying hobo, everybody's favorite, Virginia Slim, our good buddy, Harmonica Mike, and many more. Last years public attendance brought out some 1,700 visitors.
    This year promises to be our best year yet.   A special amateur radio field station (W3H) operated by the Pottstown Area Amateur Radio Club will be trannsmitting world wide from the Pennsburg Jungle on Saturday. A special collector's certificate will be issued to those who make contact with the station. General Lee will offer the 2003 Gathering t-shirts and buttons designed by Quiet Mike. There will be tramp art and hobo-made crafts from visiting hoboes for sale too. All of the items are incredibly unique and sure to be collector items. Be sure to ask for hobo signatures and moniker drawings too. No gathering is ever the same and this may be the only opportunity to get a hobo signature collection of this size and scope.
    The hoboes are invited to arrive on September 17th and usually spend the first night in private social gathering renewing acquaintances and sharing information. Tent and boxcar camping is available for hoboes only and a milk can supper will be provided on Wednesday night. Thursday during the day is usually set aside for meeting with local school students and media reporters. The Pennsburg Jungle is a "Dry Camp" - meaning that no alcohol is allowed on the site at any time.
The general public is invited to join the gathering from the lighting of the official fires on Thursday evening, enjoy meeting with the hoboes, and join the gathering events through Saturday night.
More details will be added soon. Contact Quiet Mike at 215-679-8255 after September 10th.