secret raves in larger cities, "the Underground Cafe" allows Tallahassee ravers a place to dance and imitate the scene. Even though raves may be lurking in middle America, most members of the mainstream culture are probably not even aware of their existence; those in the mainstream who are aware may attempt to thwart this counterculture. Because of this need to keep authorities from discovering and destroying raves, secrecy is paramount. Yet rave organizers need to inform kids as to the clandestine location. What is perhaps most remarkable about raves is their ability to draw thousands of kids to secret parties without the use of media and without alerting the authorities. Reynolds (1994) notes that raves with 2,000 or more kids routinely occur in New York City despite the fact that the NewYork Fire Department has tried to crack down on the parties. Garcia (1992) describes "The Love Parade" rave which had over 7,000 people and twenty trucks of musical and computer equipment, yet still managed to evade police. Smith (1992) and Garcia (1992) remark that even with threats of punishments and fines, one rave occurred with over 20,000 kids. Deejay D. B. of N.A.S.A. (no, not the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, but the Nocturnal Audio & Sensory Awakening) dreams of "the Holy Grail of raves: Ravestock, an unprecedented giant gathering of rave kids," according to Rave summit (1993: 28). Before Ravestock can occur, potential ravers need to possess the proper artifacts. Artifacts are nonverbal symbols such as clothing, supplies and toys used to identify ravers. Clothing is probably the most easily identifiable artifact. Garcia (1992) identifies "[r]ave clothing [as that] which tends toward primary colors, patterned wool caps and untucked shirts emblazoned with peace signs, happy faces and corporate logos" (p. 60). Typical rave fashions tend toward unisex and androgynous styles. Most kids, male and female, dress the same, as if to app...
