A standing room only crowd gathered in the Springdale Town Hall at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14, for a meeting with 24 agenda items. Many of those in attendance wanted to find out what would happen to the Zion Canyon Music Festival, which was listed as item 11 on the Town Council agenda: “Zion Canyon Music Festival Report and staff directive concerning future funds.”
The Springdale Town Council had officially voted to discontinue sponsoring the Zion Canyon Music Festival in January after discontent about the risk, cost, and disruption of the community expressed in previous meetings. This time, supporters of the festival were present at the meeting and determined to present the case for continuing to hold the festival in Springdale.
Most of the audience remaining in the room for the Zion Canyon Music Festival discussion after almost three and a half hours were members of the festival volunteer committee. Rick Wixom, Springdale Town Manager, started the discussion by handing a festival financial report to the Council. The report showed the festival did make a profit even when the cost of Springdale staff time was included. Wixom reported a preliminary profit of $6,668, but later discussion revealed that there were still a number of questions about festival finances yet to be answered.
Springdale Mayor Stan Smith apologized for the last minute reporting on the festival and took full responsibility in his opening comments. Smith’s review of the festival had been posted to the town website the previous day, but financial reporting was not available until the meeting. Smith later told The Independent that the preliminary financials distributed during the meeting will be added to the website.
Smith reported that the festival was a success.
“The festival went off rather well with only minor bumps and bruises,” he stated. “The crowd enjoyed the music and the food. The vendors enjoyed being there. The food booths sold out their inventories by night time. The weather was perfect, and we even had a beautiful full moon to light the night’s events.”
Smith wrote that there were 2275 paying guests over the two days of the festival. He also provided details on the “minor bumps.”
“One man decided to relieve himself out in the bushes instead of the portapotties. He fell into a cactus and rolled around in it to try and get out. Helen and her volunteers spent a good hour or so picking spines from his body. The owners of the solar panel generator had a dispute, each claiming the other stole the generator from the other. It had problems upon its arrival and did not work. One of the owners removed it from the event. We used other things to make the power work but they were not solar. No incidents were reported by the police.”
One of the biggest changes in the management of the festival this year was the Town’s requirement that Springdale town staff time be strictly limited and that most of the effort of putting on the festival must be borne by volunteers. Smith and members of the festival committee all agreed that volunteers had done a very good job. However, they also said that key Springdale staff members should have a greater role if Springdale continues to sponsor the festival. In his review, Smith suggested that the staff play a larger part in planning of the festival, overseeing a group of volunteers that would do the majority of the work.
Smith also recommended that Springdale continue to sponsor the festival, arguing that most southern Utah cities and towns do sponsor events like the music festival.
“It seems to me more unusual for a town or a city not to organize a festival than to do so,” Smith stated.
He recommended that Springdale continue to sponsor the festival as a community event that benefits Springdale and the entire Zion Canyon community. When a resident of Springdale pointed out that a unanimous Council decision had already been made in January to discontinue sponsoring the festival and shift sponsorship to an independent organization, Smith said, “My recommendation is that it isn’t over. … A decision can always be remade.”
Several Town Council members expressed concern because the details necessary to make an informed decision had either not been provided or had just been handed to them. Council member Mark Chambers noted that a survey of people who were actually present at the festival was specifically required, but one was never done. He said that the website survey was not at all the same thing.
“We just got these financials,” Chambers said. “We usually get stuff in advance. I have a lot of questions … I’m wondering why we’re pushing this so quickly without information when this has been such a concern about financials and administration. … I feel that I’m under pressure to make a decision tonight.”
Chambers went on to list several unanswered questions about how the festival was managed. However, Chambers did agree that it was a great festival.
“I went Friday night,” he said. “It looked good. It felt good. It was great music. It was a great time.”
Smith responded to complaints by saying that he was indeed pushing the issue because he didn’t want it to drag on.
“There are a lot of people who have put a lot of investment into it,” Smith said, “and they would like to know if it’s going to happen or not.”
Council member Adrian Player said he also asked for a better financial record, stating that what they had received were “not good financials.” Mike Alltucker also agreed that it was a great festival, but he was also uncomfortable making such a rush decision. Bill Weyer said, “I want more information and I want to tighten it up.”
Smith concluded by reiterating that if Springdale was going to have a music festival, it needed to be a community event.
“If it’s going to be an outside producer to come in and do it for us, then I’m not for it,” Smith said.
At the end of the meeting, the Town Council voted unanimously to table the discussion and reconsider it at the November meeting.
