Claeys: Show some respect, give thanks for SITP
Posted: Friday, July 04, 2008
Even a Deadhead gets it.
Even a Deadhead gets it.
Phil Lesh, the man who spent 30-plus years as the bass player for the Grateful Dead and has never been to Sioux City, gets it.
"It's free?" he uttered after hearing a description of the Saturday in the Park music festival. "Wow, that's great. Thanks for telling me that."
All I told him, in a matter of seconds at the end of a telephone interview, is how hundreds of Siouxland businesses and citizens come together each year to provide the funding and sweat equity to transform a park into a music festival grounds, complete with top-notch entertainment. Admission, I told him, is free.
I also get it, so much so that I and many others volunteer as committee members who begin regularly gathering months prior to fest in Convention Center conference rooms to plan and implement an annual party for tens of thousands of people.
Being a committee member allows a person to gain an intimate knowledge of SITP. Knowledge that, in some of the more interesting, funny and strange cases, proves many people do not get it.
Maybe we'll all benefit from a stroll down SITP memory lane used to illustrate a few simple rules. Let's call them the Five Commandments of SITP (NOTE: A name has been changed to protect the innocent).
1. Thou shall respect the festival grounds.
The memory of what year it occurred conflicts, but all remember the details of the time the grounds of Grandview Park, the location of SITP, were desecrated. Maybe that's a strong word, but what do you call the action of burying a metal keg of beer in ground? Volunteers cleaning the park Sunday after the concert came across a pup tent and removed it. Inside, much to their surprise, was a hole in the ground containing an empty keg of beer. Smart? Yes. Unnecessary? Very. Please keep the park clean (it's been a public gathering spot for 100 years) and free from large chunks of metal debris.
2. Thou shall respect SITP volunteers.
In 2006, headlining artist Chuck Berry had a hard time getting to a show. Why? Because of a volunteer. SITP elicits the help of many volunteers each year who do everything from pick up trash to help keep vehicle traffic flowing smoothly. One year, as Chuck Berry attempted to pull into a backstage area in a white Lincoln Towncar driven by a much younger blonde, he was stopped by a volunteer and asked to provide the proper pass allowing him into the area. Wearing a red sparkly shirt and a boat captain's hat, Berry couldn't cough up a pass or an ID. The volunteer held him at the gate until his identity could be verified and he could be allowed access. In short, these volunteers may not be pros, but please do as they request because they're doing some important stuff. Chuck Berry did.
3. Thou shall be thankful.
A person would think this one is a no-brainer, but every year I hear grumblings from people who are disappointed with the musical offerings. They all have their own really long explanations as to why their opinions about how the booked acts are (insert one: too irrelevant, too popular, too old, too young, too loud, too stuffy) valid, but they are lost on this writer. The price of a ticket --$0 -- does not include the right to criticize.
4. Thou shall pray for great weather.
Sioux City photographer extraordinaire GR Lindblade once told me his theory on SITP's great run of luck when it comes to the weather department: "I think (SITP co-founder Dave) Bernstein sold his soul to the devil, " Lindblade said. I haven't asked Dave about this. Some things are better left unknown. I hope he did, and tomorrow is forecast to be another in an 18-year string of sunny and warm days of music. On the flip side, we should all combat this devilish deal with prayers for his soul and a nice day.
5. Thou shall not steal.
The 2008 SITP festival marks an anniversary for one of the event's more notorious incidents. It was a moment that exposed just how sometimes the simplest things can get overlooked. The 1997 festival was hit by The Great Beer Heist. The story -- as fuzzily recalled by many -- goes like this. Bob arrives at SITP and looks to purchase some beer tickets. Upon seeing the beer tickets, Bob leaves Grandview Park. Bob heads to a near-by paper/party supply store to get his hands on the exact same generic "ADMIT ONE" tickets SITP beer vendors are using. He proceeds to treat himself and the bulk of festivalgoers to free rounds of beer. I'm told Bob later faced some criminal and/or civil charges, and SITP has used custom printed beer tickets since. SITP uses proceeds from vending to fund future concerts. Let's not take money away from this great event.
Jesse Claeys can be reached at (712) 293-4221 or jesseclaeys@siouxcityjournal.com
Even a Deadhead gets it.
Phil Lesh, the man who spent 30-plus years as the bass player for the Grateful Dead and has never been to Sioux City, gets it.
"It's free?" he uttered after hearing a description of the Saturday in the Park music festival. "Wow, that's great. Thanks for telling me that."
All I told him, in a matter of seconds at the end of a telephone interview, is how hundreds of Siouxland businesses and citizens come together each year to provide the funding and sweat equity to transform a park into a music festival grounds, complete with top-notch entertainment. Admission, I told him, is free.
I also get it, so much so that I and many others volunteer as committee members who begin regularly gathering months prior to fest in Convention Center conference rooms to plan and implement an annual party for tens of thousands of people.
Being a committee member allows a person to gain an intimate knowledge of SITP. Knowledge that, in some of the more interesting, funny and strange cases, proves many people do not get it.
Maybe we'll all benefit from a stroll down SITP memory lane used to illustrate a few simple rules. Let's call them the Five Commandments of SITP (NOTE: A name has been changed to protect the innocent).
1. Thou shall respect the festival grounds.
The memory of what year it occurred conflicts, but all remember the details of the time the grounds of Grandview Park, the location of SITP, were desecrated. Maybe that's a strong word, but what do you call the action of burying a metal keg of beer in ground? Volunteers cleaning the park Sunday after the concert came across a pup tent and removed it. Inside, much to their surprise, was a hole in the ground containing an empty keg of beer. Smart? Yes. Unnecessary? Very. Please keep the park clean (it's been a public gathering spot for 100 years) and free from large chunks of metal debris.
2. Thou shall respect SITP volunteers.
In 2006, headlining artist Chuck Berry had a hard time getting to a show. Why? Because of a volunteer. SITP elicits the help of many volunteers each year who do everything from pick up trash to help keep vehicle traffic flowing smoothly. One year, as Chuck Berry attempted to pull into a backstage area in a white Lincoln Towncar driven by a much younger blonde, he was stopped by a volunteer and asked to provide the proper pass allowing him into the area. Wearing a red sparkly shirt and a boat captain's hat, Berry couldn't cough up a pass or an ID. The volunteer held him at the gate until his identity could be verified and he could be allowed access. In short, these volunteers may not be pros, but please do as they request because they're doing some important stuff. Chuck Berry did.
3. Thou shall be thankful.
A person would think this one is a no-brainer, but every year I hear grumblings from people who are disappointed with the musical offerings. They all have their own really long explanations as to why their opinions about how the booked acts are (insert one: too irrelevant, too popular, too old, too young, too loud, too stuffy) valid, but they are lost on this writer. The price of a ticket --$0 -- does not include the right to criticize.
4. Thou shall pray for great weather.
Sioux City photographer extraordinaire GR Lindblade once told me his theory on SITP's great run of luck when it comes to the weather department: "I think (SITP co-founder Dave) Bernstein sold his soul to the devil, " Lindblade said. I haven't asked Dave about this. Some things are better left unknown. I hope he did, and tomorrow is forecast to be another in an 18-year string of sunny and warm days of music. On the flip side, we should all combat this devilish deal with prayers for his soul and a nice day.
5. Thou shall not steal.
The 2008 SITP festival marks an anniversary for one of the event's more notorious incidents. It was a moment that exposed just how sometimes the simplest things can get overlooked. The 1997 festival was hit by The Great Beer Heist. The story -- as fuzzily recalled by many -- goes like this. Bob arrives at SITP and looks to purchase some beer tickets. Upon seeing the beer tickets, Bob leaves Grandview Park. Bob heads to a near-by paper/party supply store to get his hands on the exact same generic "ADMIT ONE" tickets SITP beer vendors are using. He proceeds to treat himself and the bulk of festivalgoers to free rounds of beer. I'm told Bob later faced some criminal and/or civil charges, and SITP has used custom printed beer tickets since. SITP uses proceeds from vending to fund future concerts. Let's not take money away from this great event.
Jesse Claeys can be reached at (712) 293-4221 or jesseclaeys@siouxcityjournal.com
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Scott from Denver wrote on Jul 4, 2008 9:21 AM:
I am so disappointed I can't be there! "
John wrote on Jul 4, 2008 7:19 AM: