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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2007
WAKARUSA FESTIVAL THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WWW.KAN
Festival rings in s
Wakarusa brings tunes and smiles to music lovers and businesses alike
Green energy, sustainability prime issues at concerts
By Sam Carlson
scarlson@kansan.com
This year's Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival will focus on more than great music. For brief periods
throughout the four-day festival, the environment will steal the spotlight.
"One of the biggest changes this year will be on environmental sustainability,"said Heather Lofflin, media coordinator for the event.
"It's to get people to start thinking about where our energy comes from."
energy developers a premium to produce carbon-free forms of energy. The money made off the green tags will go directly to renewable energy projects that will produce the same amount of energy used at the festival. The new
The festival has partnered with Zephyr Energy of Lawrence to launch a "sustainability symposium," according to a news release from the company. Speakers will give presentations on such environmental topics as coal-fired energy and wind energy in between selected acts.
SARAH HILL-NELSON Zephyr energy representative
Recycling at the event will also be emphasized, Lofflin said.
"We anticipate doing twofold the amount of recycling we did last year," she said.
The festival has purchased from Zephyr Energy what are known as Green Tags, which offer renewable
energy, however, will be clean, in the form of either wind or solar energy.
"It's to get people to start thinking about where our energy comes from," said Sarah Hill-Nelson, a Zephyr energy representative.
"One of the themes were trying to stress is that living sustainably can be fun"
Other changes
The festival aims to be more user-friendly with help from customer service representatives known as St. Bernards. Lofflin said that these "roaming information booths" will answer any question a patron might have, from "where's the closest bathroom?" to a need for first aid.
For those patrons looking for a little extra relaxation, yoga classes will be offered in the morning, said
Dave Barrett, a festival coordinator. Hanuman, a famous yoga instructor, will lead the exercises from 8 to 11 every morning.
But all of the extra activities have not taken away from the main goal of the festival: providing musical entertainment. More than 100 bands are scheduled to perform on six stages over the course of four days.
Ben Harper, Widespread Panic and the Yonder Mountain String Band are considered some of the festival's highlights.
"I think you'll find that every genre is represented," Barrett said of the lineup.
The diversity of the music could be one reason the festival has gained attention around the world.
Tickets have been sold in all 50 states and five foreign countries, including Germany, Japan, Australia, South Korea and England, Barrett said.
"Lawrence is really on a national stage for four days," he said.
Although tickets for the festival are not sold out, Barrett recommends getting tickets as early as possible.
A four-day pass, as well as passes for individual days, can be purchased at www.wakarusa.com.
— Edited by Joe Caponio
The Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival returns to Clinton Lake beginning Thursday and ending on Sunday.
Local restaurants, hotels prepare for onslaught of customers during festival's four-c
By Tyler Harbert tharbert@kansan.com
Jam band fans aren't the only people who enjoy the annual Wakarusa Music Festival.
Local restaurants, hotels and liquor store employees are ready for an expected increase in business this weekend thanks to the festival.
"We get a pretty big spike and just about double our normal weekend business," said Derron McMorris, manager of Parkway Wine and Spirits, located at 23rd and Kasold streets.
Because of its proximity to the four-day-long festival at Clinton Lake, McMorris said his store prepared for the coming slew of music lovers by scheduling additional
workers and over-ordering some products, such as New Belgium and Pabst Blue Ribbon brand beers.
He said the store did even more business two years ago, before stricter regulations banned glass containers at the festival.
Matt Dolly, Lawrence resident and store clerk at Parkway Wine and Liquor, stocks a display in the store in preperation for the Wakarusa crowds. The location of the liquor store on Clinton Parkway makes it a popular stop for people attending the festival.
"A lot of them are dirty and they haven't showered because they've been out there for days at a time," he said. "It never gets wild, just a little bit more people."
McMorris, who has worked at the liquor store for two years, said the all-day crowd at his store has never been a problem, smells aside.
Jon Goering/KANSAN
general manager of Hallmark Inn Best Value, said.
Crowd control during the festival has been an issue in previous years at Hallmark Inn Best Value, 730 Iowa St.
Larsen has worked at different Lawrence hotels for 10 years and was certain she would sell out of rooms this year.
"Last year, if it wasn't nailed down they took it," Jennifer Larsen,
The cost of a room for one night at the Hallmark Inn during the festival was $79.95,$20 more than any other weekend night. The reason for the price increase, she said, was to make up for the mess festival goers left behind them.
"They were a little bit messier," Larsen said. "Yeah, we had quite a party at our pool last year."
She said with the large number of visitors coming in, proximity to the festival did not affect hotel business.
"There aren't that many hotel rooms for events like this here,"
she said.
Location is the number one reason Everardo Cazares's business gets a boost during the yearly festival.
"Normally it's kind of steady," said Cazares, general manager of Cici's Pizza, 2020 W. 23rd St.
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