News on Hunter Thompson's memorial

We finally have some details about the August memorial... there will be no August (public) memorial. The plans for a public event have been formally scrapped by the family in favor of a smaller and more personal private ceremony.

it gets stranger. way stranger.

It looks like they are going full ahead with the 10 story cannon thing too. It is said to be a temporary statue that will be removed from the site after the ceremony. Also, for beer fans...

there is this strange but cool piece of news as well:

Flying Dog Brewery, which is creating a new beer in Thompson’s honor, said sales of Gonzo Imperial Porter will help fund construction of the “gonzo fist” tower.

At 9.5 percent, the Gonzo beer has nearly double the alcohol content of average brews.

“We tried to make everything about this beer Gonzo,” brewery President Eric Warner said in a statement.

To clarify some of this insanity, I went to the proper source... the Aspen Times. I got some good information there. First off, the huge tower will be a temporary homage (which is a good idea, if you have seen the drawings). Also, contrary to everything else on the web, Aspen Times says that there will be a public ceremony eventually. Though their voice is the lone one with this info... they are undoubtedly the best info source. Like most in Woody Creek, these people were his friends and neighbors. Words about the fabled Gonzo memorial here:

The structure will be temporary, and the public, including throngs of Thompson's fans, are being discouraged from even coming to the area for the funeral. A public event is expected to be planned for a later date to commemorate the writer's life.

wait wait wait, the story changes yet again. (am drinking and googling as I write this). It is now being reported that the event (Hunter's private August memorial) will be filmed for a Bryant Gumble 'Real Sports' show broadcast... and simulcast live to 'The Buttermilk.' What then is Buttermilk, you should be asking. We all are. It appears to be a skiiing mountain in Aspen, but is probably a reference to a huge lodge somewhere nearby. Anyhow, tickets are going to be sold to this event afterall, for the simulcast.

Tickets to get into Buttermilk will be sold on the Hunter S. Thompson Foundation website, which, according to a quick Internet search, apparently hasn't started up yet.

No worries, I'll keep all y'all posted as the inevitably strange tale turns and folds again. Whatever the hell they are planning up there, I hope to be there. If not for my own star struck and heartbroken needs... but then for the needs of my readers. Stop laughing, I mean it! On my modest little site I was getting about 10 hits a day. Once I started my Hunter coverage (within hours of his death) I had over 20,000 hits on my site in about 48 hours. Also, my piece here titled 'Hunter Thompson, Goddamn You' generated a buttload of interest also. If you are a Hunter enthusiast, I still want to point you to Christine's fan site... which is the most comprehensive Hunter site online. Trust me, I am a Reverend. * update Monday night - the Buttermilk thing is off.