HARDIN COUNTY - Promoters for the group Insane Clown Posse say they've found a perfect spot for a music festival in Hardin County, but local church leaders are telling them to find another place.

The Shawnee Ministerial Alliance plans to meet with a representative of U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, on July 10 to discuss what officials can do to stop the Detroit-based rap-metal duo, Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J - and a few thousand fans - from ever gathering at Hog Rock.

ICP, as the band is commonly known, and its label, Psychopathic Records, will host a music event called The Gathering Aug. 9-12 at the privately owned site near Cave-In-Rock. The band has hosted the event for eight years at other venues throughout the U.S.

Owner Tim York, who also runs Hogdaddy's Saloon in Old Shawneetown, did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Alliance Vice President Greg Degrave, pastor of Levee Pond Church in Cave-In-Rock, said residents don't want the group or its followers in the area for four days.

"I'm not really worried about the band. They're just out there to make money, and they don't care who they make it off of," Degrave said. "But their followers � those are the ones who get out and terrorize the community."

Called Juggalos or Juggalettes (depending on gender) and often associated with violence and Satanism, ICP fans typically have been cause for concern by authorities and community members wherever they gather, Degrave said.

Stories of problems outnumber actual reported incidents in each of the concerts, but Hardin County Sheriff Tom Seiner said he'll be calling in backup from surrounding counties and Illinois State Police District 22 the weekend of the event.

Promoters have assured authorities full access to patrol the grounds at all times during the event, and Seiner said he'll have between 10 and 16 uniformed officers on duty. He said he's not convinced ICP's presence guarantees violence, but he'll take no chances.

"I think it's more rowdy than violent, but they do sing violent lyrics and that's got us concerned. Most of the places they've been before have been pretty big communities; here it's pretty rural and we've got a small police force," Seiner said.

The availability of protection is what concerns citizens most, Degrave said, adding there will be too many fans and not enough uniformed officers should things get out of hand during the festival.

Whether such concerns can stop a rock concert from taking place on private property remains to be seen, according to Shimkus spokesman Steve Tomaszewski.

"All I know is we have been invited to the meeting, and we will have a representative there," Tomaszewski said. "I don't know if there is anything we can do to stop them."

Degrave hopes officials can, because the more he reads on ICP's Web site about the planned gathering, the more fretful he becomes.

"I read on the message boards, talking about Cave-In-Rock, someone said they've found a place they can come to for years of gathering, because there is no one to stop them," Degrave said. "But we're a bunch of country boys here, so they might have bitten off more than they can chew."

caleb.hale@thesouthern.com

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