There was a sea of purple. Jiggling, swaying, jumping and shaking. Waiting for the woman on stage to command them. The woman was Margie Weiss, mother of Rachel Morningstar Hoffman.
In May of 2008, Hoffman was acting as an informant for the Tallahassee Police Department when a poorly executed drug sting led to her death.
“I went to Rachel’s grave today;” Weiss said, “but she doesn’t live there, she lives here.”
She gestured to the open air of the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park and the crowd erupted.
After Hoffman’s death, her family and friends worked to get a bill implemented that requires Florida law enforcement agencies to create guidelines with specific requirements when using police informants. Some of those regulations include assessment of the informants maturity level, age, risk level of the mission and emotional state.
In May 2009, Gov. Charlie Crist signed that bill titled “Rachel’s Law.”
To fund the passing of the law and to celebrate the life of their daughter and friend, the Morningstar Foundation began hosting a music festival in 2008, The Purple Hatters Ball.
The festival is named in remembrance of Hoffman, who was often seen at concerts and music festivals wearing a big smile and a fuzzy purple hat.
“The purple hat is a happy, colorful symbol. It creates a nice, warm memory for our friend,” Paul Levine, friend of Hoffman and member of the board of directors for her foundation, said.
Last weekend was the fifth annual music festival held at Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak. It is located one hour and 15 minutes north of Gainesville.
About 1,900 music lovers, family and friends of Hoffman attended this year, a significant increase from the estimated 700 attendees in 2010.
According to Levine, 2011 was the first year the organization made a profit from the festival.
“It was rewarding for everyone who was involved to just break even in the early years,” Levine said. “Bills come in late and we’re still tallying expenses, but I believe we made at least $10,000 this year.”
The proceeds go toward the Morningstar Foundation. Its ambition is to attempt to nationalize “Rachel’s Law” as well as strengthen state laws.
According to Levine, the bands can’t afford to play for free but since The Purple Hatters Ball is a benefit the bands play for half or less than they would normally charge given the circumstances.
“A lot of these groups put in a lot of good work early on, now that the festival is on its own feet, it is easier to pay bands,” Levine said. “We don’t want them to play for free, we want to support them.”
The Heavy Pets, a rock group that blends rhythm and blues, jazz, funk and reggae from Fort Lauderdale, said it enjoys playing for an event with a cause such as this.
All weekend the acts on stage reminded the audience of the reason for being at the park.
Break Science, an electronic bass music duo, was joined by hip-hop MC Chali 2na. Before the set began, the men had the crowd scream “Rachel.” Other groups such as Dubconscious, gave inspirational tribute speeches at the end of its sets.
The music festival was held in the middle of May for the past three years, and according to Levine, the foundation has no plans to discontinue it.
“We expect to keep hosting an annual festival,” he said. “We won’t let her be forgotten.”
