2008 Woodie Awards
'Fest' prepares for on campus move
Tyler Hilton gets ready to rock the 2007 Mississippi Music Fest
Adam Kritzeck
Issue date: 4/23/07 Section: Intermission
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It is that time of year again. The time of spring showers and May flowers, but more importantly, the Mississippi Music Fest.
The 22nd annual festival will begin Sunday, April 29, with music starting at 1 p.m., and host a plethora of music, food, games and other social events.
This year, however, things will be different. From years of yore, MMF has often been located at Riverside Park, but due to recent years of inclement weather and other changes, the music fest will be located on campus grounds near the stadium and National Hockey Center .
"There were a lot of reasons why we moved it from Riverside to campus," Hilary Jeon, Mississippi Music Fest coordinator, said. "It's a very large liability risk for the university, for safety reasons, because, according to MnSCU policies, alcohol at university sponsored events is not allowed, so it was a reevaluation of the policies that are already in place, and actually enforcing them rather than just overlooking them."
Also, there were some monetary issues along with new renovations done to the park concerning weight restrictions, as food vendors bring in large grills, coolers and trucks that are parked on the grass, Jeon said.
"So, basically it was monetary and time constraint by the time we reevaluated the policy," Jeon said. "We didn't have time to go through city counsil and do all the things necessary to keep it at the park this year. It's not guaranteed that it (MMF) will be at the park next year, but it's not guaranteed that it won't be there."
Festival-goers should expect the same fun atmosphere MMF is known for despite the new location, and makes for an easy transition should the infamous Minnesota weather drastically change.
"Well, last year, we didn't have a full event due to weather; it rained for four days before hand, so the park was quite saturated, so we couldn't even do anything," Jeon said. "We had 15,000 on a good year, with thousands and thousands all day long. I'm hoping we have five to seven thousand throughout the day."
The 22nd annual festival will begin Sunday, April 29, with music starting at 1 p.m., and host a plethora of music, food, games and other social events.
This year, however, things will be different. From years of yore, MMF has often been located at Riverside Park, but due to recent years of inclement weather and other changes, the music fest will be located on campus grounds near the stadium and National Hockey Center .
"There were a lot of reasons why we moved it from Riverside to campus," Hilary Jeon, Mississippi Music Fest coordinator, said. "It's a very large liability risk for the university, for safety reasons, because, according to MnSCU policies, alcohol at university sponsored events is not allowed, so it was a reevaluation of the policies that are already in place, and actually enforcing them rather than just overlooking them."
Also, there were some monetary issues along with new renovations done to the park concerning weight restrictions, as food vendors bring in large grills, coolers and trucks that are parked on the grass, Jeon said.
"So, basically it was monetary and time constraint by the time we reevaluated the policy," Jeon said. "We didn't have time to go through city counsil and do all the things necessary to keep it at the park this year. It's not guaranteed that it (MMF) will be at the park next year, but it's not guaranteed that it won't be there."
Festival-goers should expect the same fun atmosphere MMF is known for despite the new location, and makes for an easy transition should the infamous Minnesota weather drastically change.
"Well, last year, we didn't have a full event due to weather; it rained for four days before hand, so the park was quite saturated, so we couldn't even do anything," Jeon said. "We had 15,000 on a good year, with thousands and thousands all day long. I'm hoping we have five to seven thousand throughout the day."