Exported From Detroit: Insane Clown Posse's Juggalos Rumble In Illinois

More than 10,000 people will converge on Hardin County, Illinois, this weekend for the 13th annual Gathering of the Juggalos.

Juggalos are fans of the Detroit-based rap group Insane Clown Posse. For the sixth year, they're holding a mass gathering in Cave-in-Rock, spending five days at the Hog Rock Campground.

Justin Thornton traveled from Mississippi to perform as a wrestler at the Gathering of the Juggalos. It's his second time, but he hopes to make it an annual trip.

"There is no fighting, it's not some concert where everybody is smashing each other, trying to kill everybody. It's more about family, friends, and it's about the music," explains Thornton.

Hardin County Commissioner Wayne Eichorn has a different take on the event. He says sheriff's deputies, State Police troopers, the Shawnee Forest Service, and Coast Guard have to team up to keep an eye on the thousands of visitors, a task that gets expensive.

"It's because of that number of people we have just had to increase the number of patrols dramatically," says Eichorn.

This year's Gathering is just getting started, but Eichorn says there has already been trouble. Eight people are in custody on various charges, including weapons offenses. Hardin County transports felony arrests to the Saline County Jail, which only adds to costs.

"If you've got that many people all at once, and you are making a lot of stops, then you are going to have a lot of people taken into custody. You are going to have a lot of jail cost," explains Eichorn.

Handling the Gathering can cost the county $20,000. Earlier this year, State Representative Brandon Phelps introduced a bill that would allow the county to charge a fee on all tickets for large events. That legislation did not get enough support in the General Assembly.