SnowGlobe a success — music to officials’ ears
By Kathryn Reed
“It’s up to the council and community, but my recommendation will be to encourage this to become an annual event.”
That is what South Lake Tahoe City Manager Nancy Kerry told Lake Tahoe News less than 24 hours after the three-day music festival SnowGlobe came to a close.
“I think this event is a great example of what a group of community and city leaders can do when they put their efforts toward a common goal. Our common goal was not to bring the event back, but instead was to determine whether or not we could find acceptable solutions to the organizers, the community, those most upset or impacted by the event,” Kerry said. “That goal remained the focus this past year. A huge thanks goes to the community members who decided to more than say they didn’t like something, those who got involved said they would invest of their own time to work with the city and organizers to determine if an acceptable solution could be found. They got involved and focused not on what they didn’t agree with or didn’t like but instead invested their energies in helping to find solutions.”
Chromeo rings in the New Year at SnowGlobe in S. Tahoe. Photos/Bron Fong
A year ago the complaints were practically nonstop during the event because the bass from the techno acts had residents unable to enjoy their own homes – walls shook, turning up the TV didn’t solve the problem and angst stayed with those most affected for the last year.
While the music could be heard on occasion outside the event boundaries during the Dec. 29-31 event, it was not constant.
The city set up a phone line just for SnowGlobe related issues. It barely rang.
“I have had a lot of good feedback, no complaints and just a few minor issues have arisen. In the scheme of things it has been pretty successful,” LTCC President Kindred Murillo told Lake Tahoe News.
Like last year, the event was on the community ball fields next to Lake Tahoe Community College.
This year the college strived to capitalize on the thousands of music fans on campus – hoping to show them that while South Lake Tahoe can be fun, it also can be a place to get a higher education.
The college set up a Facebook page specifically for SnowGlobe, handed out postcards with info, and had booths inside and outside the venue.
Fireworks light up the dark, icy night New Year’s Eve.
Murillo spent her New Year’s Eve with the more than 12,000 attendees.
Chad Donnelly, who put on SnowGlobe, did not return a call so the exact number of tickets sold is not known.
The city says about 9,000 attended Saturday night, Sunday was a sell-out crowd of 13,000 and as of 8pm New Year’s Eve, 12,000 had gone through the gates.
When people entered they were frisked and offered the chance to dump any contraband in the amnesty bins. Police Chief Brian Uhler said less was collected this year compared to last year, but as of Tuesday night officers had not gone through it.
There was one arrest Saturday and one Monday – one for alleged theft, the other for allegedly possessing a controlled substance. (South Tahoe police arrested three people on charges of being drunk in public at the Stateline area on New Year’s Eve; where city officials said the crowd was much smaller than years past.)
While uniformed officers were at SnowGlobe, including a K9 unit, undercover officers, event security and undercover Alcohol Beverage Control inspectors were walking the area.
SnowGlobe security kicked a few people out, but why and how many has not been released.
Laidback Luke entertains thousands Dec. 31 at SnowGlobe.
Transportation was the biggest complaint – especially the first day. Event organizers contracted with a private bus company to bring people to the campus and deliver them back to the casino area. BlueGo was paid by SnowGlobe to run more buses, too.
“The long-term impacts of having 15,000 or so attendees come and experience South Lake Tahoe at a festival and doing so annually will likely result in tremendous marketing of the community and encouraging many of these attendees to either move here to go to college, move here later, or return to visit here year after year,” Kerry said.
By Monday, or sooner, the goal is to have LTCC not look like such a mega-event ever took place. That’s when winter quarter starts.
The main stage started to be broken down New Year’s morning after the fireworks put an exclamation point to the end of the three-day event.
In the coming days and weeks Kerry will speak with city employees, college officials and organizers for a bit of a debriefing. Meeting with those involved took place throughout the event to make sure everyone was on the same page.
While a $50,000 deposit had been secured by the city from organizers, it’s too soon to know if it will be fully refunded.
“This time, we all kept a focus on the big idea of bringing events to the community that will generate revenue for local businesses, promote the natural environment and encourage long-term connections to South Lake Tahoe,” Kerry said.
this is the beginning of the end of the stranglehold gaming has had on the future of south lake tahoe. congrats on a successful event with more to come.
I think this is a great event for this town. So glad it went better than last year, all the attendees I spoke with had a great time and said they’d probably return again next year! Yay for Tahoe!!
Nancy Kerry scores another success. Somebody give her a raise.
fromfrom, You bring up an excellent point for all the naysayers to consider. Many of the people who oppose SnowGlobe also oppose the loop road. Good work and kudos to the City for their improvements on this event.
How much Money was the City paid for this event ?
whether or not the city made money this time is irrelevant. we are blueprinting for the future.
Fromform, I certainly hope that is true. Back when I was a climbing bum I traveled all over the West and turned up at a lot of festivals. Towns like Jackson and Telluride are filling their summer season with events that bring in a lot of tourists and money.
But lets look at this. Can the college be used as a venue in the summer? Probably not. Mostly because they need to use the college as a college all but July 4 weekend. So then that pretty much means Snowglobe is a single one-off event.
It may all be academic anyway, the casinos are going to beat the city to the punch on this anyway.
Nancy Kerry,
The last sentence of Kae’s article about SnowGlobe was the best.You said,
“This time,we all kept a focus on the big idea of bringing events to the community that will generate revenue for local businesses, promote the natural enviorment and encourage long term connections with SLT.”
Can we have a summer concert for a different demographic? If not at LTCC how about at the the snow dump at the end of Sierra blvd. It’s all paved, lots of parking and surrounded by trees and sits vacant all summer.Just a thought .JoAnn Conner are you listening?
Lets promote South Shore! We can do this. Take care, old Long Skiis
Very glad it was well received, but there is a missing girl from Petaluma that has not been seen since the last night of Snowglobe. I hope Tahoe police find her safe..we need more of these types of events up here. Good for business and moral..the town had a happy excited vibe. Nancy and others did a very good job. Prayers to this girls family as well.
Long Skiis, did you go to the summer music series at the beach this past year? I thought THAT was a pretty awesome offering for the locals. It did start getting a little out of hand at one point, with all the smokers (tobacco & pot) and loose dogs and a few who had a few too many. But it was also the first year for the event, and I think next year they might get a better handle on all that.
I think that weekly event all summer long is even better than Snowglobe at New Year’s. We don’t have to bundle up!
The good news on SnowGlobe is a very nice way to begin the New Year. Congratulations to everyone who helped make this event successful for both the locals and the Festival attendees.
My cousin, Alyssa Byrne, has been missing since December 31st after leaving this event at roughly 10:00PM… anyone who might know where she is please contact the local police.
Dogula,
Nope I didn’t go to any of the shows at El Dorado Beach last summer,(sorry, hate the new name). Heck, if I went there people would think I was some poor old guy looking for his grandkids! Yep,”geezer”(thanks 4-mer-USMC!) Old Fart(thanks Steven!).
Seriously though I’m gonna give it a shot this summer. Sounds like fun! I’ll show them kids how we partied in 1968!Well,maybe not I don’t think I could do all that stuff again and live to tell about it.Take Care, Old Long Skiis
Long Skiis:
As one geezer to another I too partied a lot in the sixties. Mostly in San Francisco and on the Peninsula, and I know I couldn’t do all that stuff again now. Of course, my recollection of those fun times is a bit hazy—both literally and figuratively!
Tim I do hope she tures up, with the picture now on this site I hope it will help.
Tim, the word is really starting to spread, hopefully we will find her quickly ;)
So happy to hear that the event went better this year. I heard that the SnowGlobe organizers were going to be donating some of their profits to a nonprofit organization here in town, similar to what American Century Golf does with the Celebrity Golf Tournament at Edgewood. Does anyone know anything about this?
Tim – we are looking and spreading the word and her picture. My sons and their friends see a lot of people in the line of their work, so they are keeping their eyes open too.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. We do take this seriously.
Old Long Skiis, yes I am listening and we are starting conversations about your ideas. I will be calling soon!
Just catching up work after SnowGlobe. Got to pay the rent – imagine that! LOL!
Thanks Nancy, Lauren T., City Staff, LTCC, and everyone who pitched in to improve & make this event successful!
Thank you, Diana, for all your input. You can’t fix a problem if you don’t know it exists; we appreciate your concerns and we are glad we were able to address tham more to your satisfaction this year.
In no way do I support this type of event. Yes, bring events bring tourists make this town some money. But a outside rave in 20 degree weather? Encouraging people under 21years to come to our town take drugs yes parents these kids are doing X and other hard drugs in the cold? Why encourage this? The outdoor summer series is very successful but having a rave outdoors in the snow sounds like a lawsuit down the road. One great reason to build something productive like an event center in the hole.
Dear do drugs and die, we can’t talk about such truths here. People prefer to stick their heads in the sand and chant…”lalalalalalala”.
:)
these events and their crowds are not the future we want for lake tahoe, in the past 3-5 years I’ve seen more littering around our beaches than ever before and not to mention how out of control our drug problem is getting here, and no I dont mean marijuana, i mean the cocaine, molly/x and alcohol that no one ever reports, Tahoe’s DUI numbers are ridiculous
Old Long Skiis,
I believe we old folk were WELL represented at the summer events. In fact, it was probably half young whippersnappers, 1/4 families, and 1/4 old farts. And the music ran the whole gamut, though I would have liked some country. I was very sorry to have missed the MidWinter Carpenters, and hope they come back next season!
lfurbio,
You’re right…these events/crowds are NOT the future of Tahoe….or anywhere for that matter. Why? Because it won’t last. Who knows what the next musical fad will be…..but I bet it’s not some guy wearing a giant, liiuminated mouse head. Probably something very different because every generation has to break the mold. Interesting how ‘yesterdays’ music still endures and packs in all ages. In the meantime, mining this rich vein of sillyness ore makes sense IF it’s done like last weeks event.
I do hope the missing young woman shows up safe. Z
so as long as we gain financially we can set aside our morals and our youth’s well being?! money and possessions will not make our young any richer than we are.
On Children
by Kahlil Gibran
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.
Z
Thank you, Zorro. That is the best comment in many months.
I have nothing to add other than all of you old farts need to refer back to the album released by Frank Zappa in 1966. Freak Out!.
That album was just as critical of the freaks from the 60s, and the freaks haven’t gone away nor have they changed. All the while the old farts saw the MOI as the freaks…. and history shows that Frank and his entire crew were anti drug. Point being, old people’s criticism of the youth is irrelevant.
Good Zappa referance thing fish! Keep em’ coming!Old “200 Motels” Skiis
Interesting, intelligent, kind comments :)
Under aged drunks and drug users…someone ends up dead. Predictable. Oh, let’s crank the music for the last two hours. B.S.
Hopefully the girls parents will sue the city and college so this madness is ended.
Truth is if they advertised searches and arrests for dope and alcohol open containers LIKE EVERY OTHER PUBLIC LOCATION this would die.
Keep looking the other way. It’s not surprising given our “wise” city allows pot farms despite the fact that it’s ILLEGAL.