By Frank X. Mullen Jr. Reno Gazette-Journal

Dealing with the Hot August Nights organization has been an exercise in frustration after event officials announced in June that the classic car and music festival will be opening in Long Beach, Calif., next year for a six-year run, officials of Reno and Sparks said.

“It’s been a debacle from the start,” said Sparks Mayor Geno Martini. “They haven’t shared any information with us. I understand that the executive director, Bruce Walter, gives direction in these things, but in the end the board has to vote on this stuff.

“This is a strange set of circumstances I don’t understand. The (HAN) board is acting completely differently than any board of directors I’ve ever been involved with. They need to regain credibility and give us the whole scoop about what’s going on in Long Beach.”

Martini, Reno Mayor Bob Cashell and local casino executives are scheduled to meet with Hot August Nights officials Sept. 20 to discuss the event’s future in Northern Nevada. The 24-year-old festival brings $350 million into the area each August, organizers said.

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