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Georgia county fears thousands of hippies might come to Bull Mountain

Dahlonega's Bull Mountain offers scenic bike rides. (Photo courtesy Kelly Sundstrom/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

LUMPKIN COUNTY, Ga. — A counter-culture, hippie organization has chosen the Bull Mountain area of the Chattahoochee National Forest for its annual gathering, authorities confirmed.

The Lumpkin County Government released a statement that said "the gathering may be as large as 20,000 people, which will also cause local impacts" across the North Georgia mountains. The loosely organized group is called the Rainbow Family of Living Light.

The event will occur from now until after July 4, the statement said. If that many people were to show up, forest and county roads are expected to become very congested, which could cause road closures or traffic detours near the campsite.

“Please be aware that neither Lumpkin County nor the US Forest Service is legally able to prevent this gathering,” the statement said.

The U.S. Forest Service is working with the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia State Patrol and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to manage the event, the statement said.