6,000 DANCERS RAVE ON IN AURORA

Aug. 7, 2000 - ARAPAHOE COUNTY - Booming bass pounded the air field all
weekend.

The Aurora Airpark was the site of an 18-hour-long outdoor rave party that
ended at noon on Sunday.

It was one of Colorado's largest ever, with some 6,000 people tripping the
light fantastic under the stars as eight DJs spun records on sound stages
scattered throughout the airpark's field. The rave was visible to motorists
on Interstate 70.

When it was over, only a few dozen droopyeyed stragglers in baggy pants and
tight-fitting shirts wandered around the airport, which was littered with
empty water bottles and crushed Marlboro and Camel cigarette cartons.

Some were resting in the shade of their cars. A few were dancing to the
remaining DJ's pulsing tunes. Some were looking for rides home.

"It was one of the best raves I've ever been to," said Jay Miller, 18, of
Northglenn, who was hitchhiking on I-70. "There were a lot of DJs and a lot
of good vibes."

Maybe too many good vibes.

Arapahoe County sheriff's deputies made 17 narcotics arrests over the course
of the all-night rave, along with several other arrests, including four for
curfew violation.

Raves are dance parties that are popular nationwide. They attract young
dancers with light shows, bone-vibrating techno music and drugs. They also
attract controversy.

The raves host hundreds of people and sometimes thousands. The biggest draw
dancers from across the country looking to groove. They also attract those
looking for the drug Ecstasy, which many say heightens the senses and makes
dancing and touching more pleasurable.

But as far as raves go, this one apparently went about as smoothly as the
beat from Travis Tickemyer's speakers. Tickemyer is a sound man and DJ who
goes by the name Travis T. when he travels throughout the region spinning
his mix.

His company, Pounds Phat Productions, is based in Kansas City, Mo., and he
has been playing dance music at raves since 1995.

"There were a lot of people," Travis T. said. "All in all, it was a good
party." That's in contrast to other raves in Colorado, where the all-night
parties have gotten out of hand or have shocked authorities with the sheer
number of people who arrive at the events.

For example, in March, Rampart High School in Colorado Springs was the site
of a rave that took school officials by surprise.

The principal rented the school to the rave's organizers, as she had done in
the past with church groups and basketball leagues. She was told that about
1,000 would attend the dance.

It wasn't like any dance she'd ever seen. Instead of 1,000 people, about
3,000 showed up.

"Some of them drove 12 hours to the party and arrived at midnight," said
Norman Ridder, who was interim superintendent of the school district at the
time.

School officials ordered the rave shut down at 5:30 a.m.

And in Larimer County, Sheriff Jim Alderden got a court order to shut down a
July rave.

He has said he will keep shutting them down because of the drug culture that
surrounds raves.

"You're not welcome here," Alderden said, addressing ravers, in an interview
last month.

Days ago he relented and said he would allow an Aug. 18 rave in his county,
but only with strict rules such as forcing rave organizers to keep the
number of partygoers to 572 and making rave security staff check the
pockets, handbags and backpacks of everyone entering the rave.

Those restrictions were not in place at the Aurora Airpark rave.

"It's not a keg party; it's not a hostile environment," Travis T. said.
"They were enjoying themselves - shaking off the 9-to-5."