by Adam Ghassemi
CHRISTIANA, Tenn. – On the edge of Rutherford Country, up a steep drive, lives an idea.
"We have, you know, a dream," said "Mama Jeanie" and her husband "Hippie", once homeless themselves, decided to make their land a destination called Hippie Hill for anyone who needs it.
"We feed a lot of hungry people and give them a place to live," Hippie said Friday.
The permanent camp began making money by hosting bands. Donations help feed people like, 23-year-old Chris Daves, who would rather be here than seeking shelter in a city. "It's so much more complicated. You got to go through all these steps. Here you're welcome with open arms, no judgment. Nobody cares what you did or why you're here," Daves said.
There are posted rules they say will surprise most assumptions.
"They think of drugs automatically, yet we aren't even about drugs. There isn't no drugs here. We don't allow them," Hippie went on to say.
They've created a place for so many to call home, but as they're learning no dream comes without a few setbacks.
"I looked out of my window and the whole kitchen was engulfed in flames," Mama Jeanie said.
Early this morning the kitchen, brand new showers and even an expensive generator used for performances were lost in a fire. Investigators say someone just threw a cigarette butt in a corner.
The people who live on "Hippie Hill" spent most of Friday cleaning up what's left.
"That just made me cut off all smoking to every building around," Hippie said.
Now they're trying to figure out how to keep their community going that's perched on a hill in the Tennessee wilderness that so many call home.
"If you're thinking you're going down the wrong path just come up to Hippie Hill, we'll take care of you like family," Daves said.
"Hippie Hill" started in 2001. It's located in Christiana where Rutherford, Cannon and Coffee counties meet. They say they'll start the progress of rebuilding what they can if they can get some help.
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