 |
Bulls start to run in a Pamplona-style running of the bulls on Sunday during Phish Super Ball IX at Watkins Glen International. About 100 people wearing bull masks chased people in white shirts and red sashes toward the stage and in Ball Square in the event. |
The Phish festival at Watkins Glen International continues to earn accolades, with Schuyler County officials adding to widespread praise about the organization of the three-day event and the attitude and behavior of the fans.
"It was an outstanding event for this community," County Administrator Timothy O'Hearn said in his report to county legislators during Wednesday's Resolution Review Committee.
O'Hearn said last weekend's event brought record-setting sales to some local businesses. And, with the sales tax on ticket sales also coming back to Schuyler, county legislators are pleased.
Tickets "in the 30,000 range" were purchased by Phish fans from across the nation, O'Hearn said.
"It was a huge ... boost to the economy," he said, noting that the economic impact on the county was "seven to 10 times more than the Indy races."
"It should be a half-a-million-dollar weekend in sales tax back to the county, or more," O'Hearn said.
The Phish festival, dubbed Super Ball IX, filled the gap left in the WGI schedule with the loss of the July IndyCar Series race.
O'Hearn credited WGI as a "community partner" for agreeing to host an event quite different than its usual motorsports activities.
"We really benefited from their willingness to take this risk. They didn't have to do this," O'Hearn said.
Legislator Philip Barnes, R-Watkins Glen, works as head of security at WGI. He echoed O'Hearn's good review of Phish fans.
"At NASCAR, if I drove my car through the crowds they'd be pounding on it. These people would have washed it for me if I had asked," Barnes said.
These are the same concert-goers who, O'Hearn said, have been writing Sheriff William Yessman thank-you notes for a great weekend.
Complaints from local residents about the weekend were personally fielded by Barnes.
He said the complaints were minor and mostly were about the music when the wind was blowing just right. The late-night sets -- and fireworks -- surprised a few neighbors, he said.
Barnes said one of his own disappointments was that state officials did not respond to his request that inspectors attend the event to review sales tax collections by "fly-by-night" vendors on-site.
O'Hearn said "hiccups" were quickly handled by track or Phish personnel or other agencies affected.
For example, sewer line blockages due to a lot of "foreign matter" were taken care of as quickly as possible.
"That certainly was a lesson learned, but was easily correctible," he said.
The festival was a year-and-a-half in planning, O'Hearn said, and the caution and focus on detail paid off.
"We were over-prepared, and it resulted in an outstanding fan experience. They couldn't say enough positive things about the area. It was an all-around, great experience. We hope they come back," he said.
He commended county lawmakers for issuing the necessary permits to make the event possible.
Barnes had praise of his own for county Department of Motor Vehicles and Sheriff's Department staffs, as well as for O'Hearn.
Early last week, he said, 130 festival security personnel arrived in town on buses.
Over a two-day period they had to undergo state-required training and had to be fingerprinted and photographed.
They were without transportation from site to site until O'Hearn arranged for the use of Schuyler Transit buses.
Deputies at the Human Services Complex in Montour Falls fingerprinted them, and DMV staff at the County Office Building in Watkins Glen took their ID photos.
"We could not have done this without county help," he said.
