Tragic Death At Love Your Mother Earth Festival

June 26, 2012 in Montana

by lizard

The Missoulian confirmed what I heard yesterday—that a young man, Nicholas Rivera, was hit and killed by a train over the weekend during the Love Your Mother Earth festival.

I’ve also heard unconfirmed reports of police seeking a man who was rumored to have drugged and sexually assaulted several minors during the weekend-long music festival.

This annual event celebrated its 6th year, and if it wants to make it to year 7, the organizers have their work cut out for them, because from the accounts I’ve been hearing, this year it was a drugged-out disaster.

14 Comments

Quest

June 26, 2012 at 3:21 pm

If you want to see the LYME festival again, I’d suggest talking to the organizers one on one rather than spreading “unconfirmed” messages. This only shines more of a negative light on it all.

Reply
- lizard19
  
  June 26, 2012 at 3:29 pm
  
  this is the challenge of organizing a big music festival—when things go wrong, it falls on those putting on the show to account for things like party goers playing chicken with trains.
  
  Reply
- lizard19
  
  June 26, 2012 at 6:40 pm
  
  I also find it interesting that I posted this @ 3:16pm, and this first comment was logged five minutes later—google alert damage control maybe?
  
  Reply
Marlene

June 27, 2012 at 9:53 am

My nephew Nick was taken too soon. He is in no way, shape or form responsible for the drugged and sexually assaulted minors during the weekend-long music festival. He was clean, sober, and enjoying the music.. Do NOT relate the two stories together.. He was a beautiful person full of love and life.. I do not like the fact that you even put the two stories in the same article. RIP Nick, your family loves you and misses you dearly.. God Bless- peace..

Marlene/ his aunt

Reply
- lizard19
  
  June 27, 2012 at 10:44 am
  
  I’m sorry for your loss.
  
  Reply
  - Marlene
    
    June 27, 2012 at 9:43 pm
    
    Thank you, much appreciated. God bless- peace
    
    Reply
- Marlene
  
  June 27, 2012 at 9:39 pm
  
  Thank you for shedding g light on who nick was. He was a bright light to all how we’re blessed to know him. God bless you!!
  Marlene- peace
  
  Reply
Kyra Cambell

June 27, 2012 at 8:55 pm

I agree with Nick’s aunt. I was a friend of his and I think that these comments are very, very insensitive. Nick was a beautiful person who was and still is loved by many.
He was not one of the kids playing chicken with the train…

If anything next year for LYME they should have it in a safer area, assuming that people will indeed be using substances and they should have tighter security. A lot of LYME is run by volunteers, so perhaps next year (if they have it) they should look into funding for an actual security group of some sorts that will not be there to volunteer just so they get in for free.
Also, making sure that NO ONE under the age of 18 will be there. There was apparently a 15 year old that was given bad drugs there as well… this is not okay.

The unfortunate events that happened this weekend are proof that the culture of various music festivals and groups of people are out of control. I hope this is a wake up call and people can revert back to the true festival nature.

Nick was one of the best people to go to music fests with. He was generous, loving, free spirited and was a good person to go to if you needed anything.
Please, do not ever confuse him with the foolish people and horrible criminal behavior that happened at this years LYME.

Reply
- jhwygirl
  
  June 27, 2012 at 9:09 pm
  
  The venue itself is the problem. There is a history there at that location with inadequate security and criminal behavior.
  
  I am sorry for the loss of Nick. It is always tragic when a life is taken so young.
  
  Reply
- lizard19
  
  June 27, 2012 at 9:21 pm
  
  thank you for your comment, Kyra, and if you have any specific information about how Nick died, the article indicated no one with him that night has stepped up and given investigators any help figuring out what happened, so I would encourage you to do so.
  
  I don’t mean to minimize this tragedy, or to directly or indirectly imply that Nick’s death has anything to do with the other things I’ve heard went down—all unconfirmed.
  
  I DO mean to send a message to the organizers (who I don’t have a lot of confidence in for reasons I won’t get into here) because in six years this festival has grown big, and there are some questions that I think need to be considered for next year.
  
  first, I’m not sure if LYME can continuing trying to be kid friendly if it wants to be part of the regional drug circuit of travelers it’s currently courting. based on just the anecdotal stories of friends, there are kids roaming around pretty late at night without coherent parents (that’s a different topic I don’t feel like getting into right now).
  
  second is definitely the Rock Creek venue. it’s a bad combination of elements. I think rethinking location might be a good idea.
  
  Reply
  - Marlene
    
    June 27, 2012 at 9:42 pm
    
    My nephew was trying to catch a ride home to. Missoula and I do not want to describe what happened. Please respect my family privacy in this horrible accident. God bless. Peace
    
    Reply
    - lizard19
      
      June 28, 2012 at 6:15 am
      
      Marlene, I assume you found this post by searching the internet for information about your nephew’s death, and you chose to comment in this public forum. you have made claims about your nephew’s sobriety, and depicted this as an “accident”.
      
      out of respect, I’m not going to contest your depiction with the rumors I’ve been hearing, because that’s not what this post is about; there is an investigation that can hopefully determine what happened to give you and your family the closure that knowing can hopefully provide.
      
      that said, there are other bad things that are alleged to have transpired at this Love Your Mother festival, and to prevent further tragedies from occurring, the organizers need to show some respect by taking the concerns expressed here seriously.
      
      I didn’t know your nephew well, but I did meet him a few times, and again, I’m sorry for your loss.
      
      Reply
      - angie
        
        June 29, 2012 at 9:06 am
        
        Nick was a good kind hearted person. He wasn’t perfect, but who is. I am glad he was doing what he loved doing. Art, music and the environment. If anyone knows anything about Nicks state of mind earlier that evening I would love to know so we can get some kind of closure. I had talked to him Thursday, and he was excited about coming home this weekend. If you were anywhere around the time of nicks’ passing please let Nick’s family know. We are accepting that God has called Nick home, but we aren’t accepting how he called him home.
        ~peace
        aunt angie
        
        Reply
Marge Ronning

June 28, 2012 at 3:03 pm

All life is precious so stop assuming different scenerios about Nick. He is my son and is a kind, compassionate human being. Whatever happened that night will be a mystery. All I know is that Nick is in a better place than the rest of us. God only takes the good. That”s why the rest of us are still here!!!

Rest in Peace my darling son…Mama already misses you more than words can say. Until we meet again~PEACE~

Marge Ronning (Nick’s mama)

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