HFStival Coming to Merriweather
HFSvital is the best concert in the Baltimore-Washington area every year and it is a big deal for everyone under 35 or 40 (the older range went when they were younger and remember its coolness). This is a big get for Merriweather and the county. If the county does this right this will be great for the county. The question in my mind is will they do it right? Will they give all residents a car passes so they can go through any parking and traffic flow check points? Will they get together with business owners and develop a plan for promotions for concert goers to draw them to use local businesses?
The more welcoming and friendly the county is to concert goers and the more preparation is put in to limit disruptions to county residents, then the smoother this will go. If we get confrontational, the concert goers will get confrontational back. And if the county doesn't plan this in a way that allows residents to go about their everyday activities without major disruptions the residents WILL get confrontational. And as I just said that WILL lead to concert goers getting confrontational back. All of this can be prevented if we:
1) can get residents passes so they can go through any traffic block and park where they need to,
2) can get residents the same promotional discounts as concert goers,
3) employ local teens and twenty-somethings to help run things in exchange for free tickets because they will create positive peer pressure to treat the area with respect because it is their area, and
4) create venues for local bands to perform during the weekend at places like the grass amphitheater at the lakefront, the L.L. Bean square, the fountain square in Corporate Boulevard, and the food court exit to the mall
With good planning we can make this a superb concert that will help keep Merriweather viable and draw business into our community without adversely effecting residents.
(By the way the HoCoMD Blog has an interesting post on this subject and another local blogger HayDuke I think hits the nail on the head with his response, though I would add that locals --whether cops or concert goers -- are more likely to look out for and respect the area than outsiders, so I am all for as much local cop and local concert goers/volunteers as possible.)
The more welcoming and friendly the county is to concert goers and the more preparation is put in to limit disruptions to county residents, then the smoother this will go. If we get confrontational, the concert goers will get confrontational back. And if the county doesn't plan this in a way that allows residents to go about their everyday activities without major disruptions the residents WILL get confrontational. And as I just said that WILL lead to concert goers getting confrontational back. All of this can be prevented if we:
1) can get residents passes so they can go through any traffic block and park where they need to,
2) can get residents the same promotional discounts as concert goers,
3) employ local teens and twenty-somethings to help run things in exchange for free tickets because they will create positive peer pressure to treat the area with respect because it is their area, and
4) create venues for local bands to perform during the weekend at places like the grass amphitheater at the lakefront, the L.L. Bean square, the fountain square in Corporate Boulevard, and the food court exit to the mall
With good planning we can make this a superb concert that will help keep Merriweather viable and draw business into our community without adversely effecting residents.
(By the way the HoCoMD Blog has an interesting post on this subject and another local blogger HayDuke I think hits the nail on the head with his response, though I would add that locals --whether cops or concert goers -- are more likely to look out for and respect the area than outsiders, so I am all for as much local cop and local concert goers/volunteers as possible.)
posted by Evan | 12:34 AM
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