Businesses count SnowGlobe cash; concert divides locals
By Kathryn Reed
While the South Lake Tahoe City Council was prepared to get an earful from residents Tuesday about the three-day SnowGlobe Music Festival, only 10 people spoke during the public comment session about the concert.
The consensus from those folks is something has to be done about the sound level – the bass and subwoofer in particular. It shook walls and physically agitated people.
SnowGlobers -- about 10,000 strong each night -- line up at Lake Tahoe Community College to get in. Photo/LTN
Others said this town needs to bring in tourists and that events like SnowGlobe are good for the economy.
Some talked about moving the event off the campus of Lake Tahoe Community College. City officials and promoters considered all open spaces – including Lake Tahoe Airport. With talks about SnowGlobe starting early last spring, that did not allow enough time to work with the FAA to stage the event at the airport.
City officials recognize that area, too, could impact a neighborhood.
The college’s perspective is the event was successful, but that they would work on better trash containment in future years. Trails that locals use had litter on them. The college also wants to ensure the promoters end the event at the time specified.
The South Lake Tahoe Police Department cited the promoters after the second night when the concert ran long.
Representatives from both South Shore chambers of commerce were at the Jan. 3 meeting, saying they will be taking surveys of members and anyone who wants to participate.
South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce is asking people eight questions related to SnowGlobe’s impact on businesses. Anyone may take survey.
The Nevada-based chamber is still putting its survey together.
Here are comments the city has received from area businesses:
• Richard Bennett, manager of Rite Aid, “SnowGlobe saved jobs. Sales were up 15 to 20 percent.”
• Jim Warlow, owner Cork and More, “Very positive impact.”
• Rude Brothers Bagels, “Best sales in 15 years.”
• Tyler Cannon, owner of Sprouts, “Sales hit historic highs for the time period.”
• Ross Stores manager, “Sales were huge.”
• Sno-Flake Drive In, “SnowGlobe brought in a lot of business.”
• Jazz Kat Cafe owner said she stayed open late once she saw SnowGlobers walked right by her door. She saw business at “completely unexpected volumes,” “slammed” and “sold out of items each day.”
• Freshies said sales were “huge.”
• Mike Donavan, MontBleu general manager, reported huge increases in business after 11pm when the after-parties began.
The city has a survey on its website, too. The majority, to date, want to bring the event back.
As for exact numbers, transient occupancy and sales taxes figures for December won’t be available for a while. Those will be the two biggest indicators of how the area did financially. However, extrapolating the direct impact on the economy compared to a year ago when record snowfall brought people to the area will be more difficult.
This town just can not stand winning. please bring me more business but be quiet about it
City event, keep it in the City.
The week between Christmas and New Years has historically been the busiest week of the year for tourists and visitors at Lake Tahoe, with New Year’s Eve or a day prior or after being the historical busiest day for STPUD sewage outflow.
With or without Snow Globe. With or without snow.
Reported strong South Shore tourist business this year should be compared with that of Incline Village and Tahoe City for meaningful analysis.
Have it when it’s not on a holiday weekend.
Have it in the off season to bring people to the lake. New Years is always busy, try when you need the business, then you will have a correct accounting of how well it does. Even the Council should be able to understand that!!
You know that there is always going to be lots of people at Tahoe on New Years and other holiday’s
Steve there is no way for an economist to calculate the impact of an event by looking at separate cities. There are too many variables that have to be controlled. Business volume should be compared to the same period from prior years with no Snoglobe. Same store sales is by far the most meaningful measure of the economic impact of an event. It appears that the local businesses are reporting greatly increased sales over the same period from years prior. But people should also understand that what is reported here is an anecdote and is not data.
Have the event earlier in the day and finish by 9pm. We all want more tourist dollars but not at the expense of keeping the neighbors up. There were noise complaints from Al Tahoe, Bijou, Black Bart, Sierra Tract and Montgomery Estates areas. That’s too large of a noise impact area in my opinion. The attendees would party at any time of the day by the way. Tell them noon and they’d be there. Why midnight and risk a lawsuit?
Selfish and pathetic. I got mine, the heck with you. Anyway, your eardrums should have healed by now.
Noise of this level is classified as torture by the International Commission on the Rights of Individuals.
It was nice to have an event that targeted the young adults on New Year’s .. better than climbing light posts at Stateline. Snow would have helped dampen the noise, but that we would have none at all certainly could not have been foreseen.
We have all experienced neighbours with barking dogs, late night parties, unkempt yards, etc. that go on for years. I prefer a 3-day event knowing I’ll just need to turn up to TV for a short time.
Not to say anything positive or negative about SnowGlobe, I think the business levels in town are due to the lack of snow. People aren’t skiing and need other things to do (and they have cash in the pocket to shop!).
In my 30+ years working in gaming in this town our busiest holiday periods were ones when there was no snow…the people that have money to spend don’t like driving in the snow.
People may complain about timeshares but they bring in a committed flow of people who are here for a week, rain or snow, sun or not. Our midweek tourist levels are higher than before timeshares since timeshare owners are here for the 7 days of their contract.
Do people with front line staff know where to sent our visitors when there is no snow? Instead of complaining of the weather (or lack of) to our guests (as I keep hearing)share what they can enjoy…walks, hikes, great art stores and more!
The message out of all of this: Lake Tahoe is open and ready for you to visit! Enjoy what we enjoy. Love what we love and take care of things as we would take care of things.
Happy New Year to everyone!
The event is a good idea, the venue is a terrible choice. It needs a proper location.
I like the LTCC location, it’s closeness to the hub of town, and ability to get to Stateline when I want to. Also allowing walking to be another alternative, vs bus or car to get around.
Airport is unappealing, and I think you will end up bothering a whole new group of residents. Plus, are you going to shut the airport down to flights for 3 days around NYE?
Camp Rich could be nice, maybe wouldn’t bother many neighborhoods (ever any noise complaints from there?). Not sure I would want to go that far, especially being bused (due to traffic jams, on the 2 lane road there). They might have more space to sell parking, say at $20-$30/day, but if you got too many takers, it could be a zoo getting in and out, though you could limit the spaces. If it was bus in only, I would not go, as I would feel stranded out there.
Oh, and I was curious too, as Linda stated. Would snow have muffled the sound?
If so, couldn’t we have brought in some snow? Maybe Heavenly could make us a few dump truck loads ;)
The location works because it’s easy access to motels, vacation rentals and stores. Any county location would mean more cars or shuttles on the road and lower attendance. I was in a huge line at Burrito Brothers last Friday for lunch with a few locals but the rest were young and had their debit cards in hand!
I like the idea of changing the hours. At least put the bands who need the sub woofer on first.
As far a measuring the impact I would like to hear from some of the motel and vacation rental people as to how many of their regular gusts were upset with the noise.
Might want to think about moving the date to Martin Luther King day or spring break.
All in all it was great to see our town embrace the kids instead of trying to push them away.
I just want to point out something to all of those advocating for a different date. The only other date that would draw as many people would be Halloween. There are two major holidays in the live music world and they are Halloween and New Year’s Eve. Getting people to come out for a three day festival outside of the summer months is much more difficult and you typically need it to be on a date when there is something else to celebrate.
MLK weekend isn’t the worst idea in the sense that most people have a three day weekend, but most colleges are back in session by then and students pocketbooks are still recovering from winter break. I think that takes away a large chunk of the attendees, especially if the lineup stays similar to this year’s lineup.
Halloween isn’t a terrible idea, town is usually pretty slow around then. It just lacks the draw of being able to ski.
Sunriser2, that’s a good idea, get the subwoofer sets over earlier, then have a quieter band as final act, might mean they will need a bigger act, so more $$, but if it makes the event work…
Thievery could have been the final Saturday, they are much quieter, but not sure they have the headliner power anymore? Not sure if they’ve had any new albums for awhile, but they can always add more members to beef up their performance ;)
Good points Dude, changing it also would put us back to square one with New Years basically being a Stateline, Nevada Casino party.
Attention needs to be paid to not overlapping/competing with some other music festival on the West Coast; NYE dates apparently had no problem with that.
AS I stated before these visitors
were here for recreational drug abuse Extasy, they bought out the towns supply.
Maybe the next event should market the Tweekers or the Junkies, Lord knows the town has lots of that for sale.
As far as Stateline I was there, those visitors were drinking.
If it wasn’t the bass, it be the ax runs,Drums,bass,keyboards,any you that been to Sammy’s shows knows it damn loud, just the way people who pay, like it.The foul language,NUDITY, drinking,smoking,screaming, part life at any Good show unless you want Lawrence whelk and a bubble machine, watch grapes dance.(DON’T KID YOURSELF THERE’S LOTS OLD GRAPES THAT LIKE TO SHAKE THE OLD BONES,WATCH MIKLEY JORDAN SLAM DANCE).
10,000 Might sound large for this area but it’s drop in the bucket.
HOW LARGE DO YOU WANT IT TO GET?
The point is, people made money, that’s business.
There’s just not many places period to have a large Amped music blow out in the winter,summer, that residents aren’t going to hear in a natural formed basin.
The slopes,valleys are part the acoustics.
People in town who got the pull should discuss this with the Parks family ,trpa, about using the meadow next to the loop road,stage facing toward the lake,edge-wood,so the sound keep the lake trout biting.Course giving up the current location, you’ll give up bucks to the local So. ca. side and it more less STAYS down there where it at anyway.
The people who live down by state line have for years watched listened to the music for free, you either sat in the front yards, decks,hoe, get into it or go in the house watch a ball game or play your version of the event happening down there. It’s no Biggie,the people that ask to have it turned down are the motels, near by hotels, not the street people who dance regardless where their at.
What will it be ,another money maker at the college,ca.side grabs the main cash flow, casinos where the money goes all the time?
Residents need to weight the thorns in Their Side.(good verse Bad)
Sometimes in life, you just can’t have the cake and eat it to!
Personal there’s nothing in this town that really bothers me, I’m open minded to change, fun,loud sounds from people having fun, I just want be invited to party too!(The casinos shows cheap seats are packed with side shows that spend money, drop few bucks at the tables,check out the latest styles,hard bodies) and it’s Free!
I DO THINK THE PROMORTER TRIED TO APPEASE SOME WITH DRINKS,EATS, FOR THE NUISANCE ,THAT’S THOUGHTFUL. MOST WOULD JUST FLIP YOU THE BIRD, COUNT THEIR CASH.
I do hope this comes back,it was really a lot fun,people were doing their thing,that’s what it’s all about with such a short life TIME SPAN on the Planet.
“Are You Experienced?”
Bill Crawford hates everything…bike lanes, fun, fun, fun, awesome music, anyone under the age of 55, sustainability, the younger generation, snow, puppies, kittens…the list goes on…HEY BILL!!!! TIME TO MOVE TO FLORIDA MAN…GENERATION X IS TAKING OVER MAN…SPROUTS AND CARROTS ARE GOOD FOR YOU! :0)
RN, you’re not so profound that you have to repost the same statement on 3 different threads. Once was quite enough.
RN squared is an example of the type of crud California and America has become –
All the more reason to encourage people to boycott California.
The subwoofer displaced animals from the Meadow!