3-day SnowGlobe music fest returning to S. Lake Tahoe
By Kathryn Reed
Turning the stage 180 degrees so the sound reverberates away from homes, ending the concerts at 10pm the first two days and at 12:30 New Year’s morning, designating smoking areas, keeping the decibel level below 95, paying a $50,000 deposit and involving local businesses in the three-day event. Those are the criteria SnowGlobe promoters agreed to in order to bring the controversial music festival back to South Lake Tahoe.
While the South Lake Tahoe City Council on Aug. 21 agreed to have the techno bass-driven music event return Dec. 29-31, the final contract still needs to be drawn up.
With the council also on Tuesday passing an emergency no-smoking ordinance on city owned or operated property, the promoter would need to get a waiver to allow smoking even in a designated area.
SnowGlobe will be returning Dec. 29-31 to South Lake Tahoe. Photo/LTN file
The $50,000 deposit the city will collect is designed to pay for any overtime staff – especially police – that may occur, as well as cleanup costs.
The 2011 event cost the city almost $20,000. Police officer overtime was $11,000, $5,000 went to cleaning the artificial turf field, and the remainder mostly went to unexpected overtime for parks and recreation staff.
Lake Tahoe Community College’s board at last week’s retreat discussed the prospect of the event returning. A vote is expected to be taken at the Aug. 28 meeting.
While the field where the event takes place is owned by the city, it is a joint use facility with the college. The college facilities are integral to pulling it off. Buses brought concertgoers to and from the college, and the gym was used as a green room of sorts.
LTCC President Kindred Murillo spoke at Tuesday’s meeting, saying she supports the event. She practically lived at the college those three days so she knows intimately what went on, what worked and what didn’t.
“This was a pretty well-behaved group of people,” Murillo said.
What she told Lake Tahoe News is the board needs to decide if it will rent the facilities like it did last year or become a true partner. This could include being part of the marketing, having more of a say of what goes on and making money in a different way. LTCC’s contract with promoter Chad Donnelly would be separate from the city’s.
There is a SnowGlobe logistics team comprised of city, college, lodging, and tourism personnel. Dory Smith, a vocal opponent to the festival in the past, will join that committee.
He spoke at the council meeting as a resident who spent three days last December dealing with sound checks and then the concerts. It was the never-ending bass that permeated his walls and affected him physically. And he’s a musician, so he knows a few things about decibel levels, bass and subwoofers.
Smith and his wife, Diana Hamilton, were not the only residents affected by the noise. That whole neighborhood seemed to flood the city (staff, police, council) with complaints. People in Tahoe Keys heard the concerts, as did Echo View Estates.
While no one at the council meeting promised residents and guests would be 100 percent satisfied when SnowGlobe bands – many of which are more like disc jockeys making unique sounds – take to the stages, the goal is to significantly decrease the problems that occurred last year.
The boom, boom of the base, as Councilman Tom Davis called it, is what needs to go away. While that won’t happen entirely because of who the acts will be, altering the stage, sticking to the time and having the lineup not include the heaviest bass acts at the end should cut down on the invasion of noise into people’s homes.
City Manager Nancy Kerry said the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency had complained about SnowGlobe, but the bi-state regulatory agency is now silent.
“They have not let us know what the specific problems were,” Kerry said.
Donnelly would like to eventually secure a multiyear contract for SnowGlobe in South Lake Tahoe. He has told city officials he is open to changing the date after this year, but needs to first establish South Lake Tahoe as SnowGlobe’s home. That is why he is so committed to making sure the event works for all involved.
Tourism officials, while acknowledging some businesses benefited from SnowGlobe at a time when no snow blanketed the South Shore, believe having the event another time would be more beneficial in a normal snow year because New Year’s Eve is traditionally a busy time for the area.
But it was also acknowledged that having a place for people to go, especially Dec. 31, took some of the pressure off Stateline.
Police Chief Brian Uhler said he would like to see SnowGlobe become the destination for visitors and Stateline become a non-issue. As it is now, young people (those in their 20s and some not of drinking age) mill about the casino corridor – many in a stupor. There is no ball, no music, nothing.
Last year each night of SnowGlobe attracted about 10,000 people. Donnelly wants to increase that by 20 percent. He works with AEG – a world-renowned company that puts on festivals like Coachella and the New Orleans Jazz Festival.
While this festival may entail some short term negative effects, I feel those are far outweighed by the long term positive effects. I Would like to see it held during a non peak tourism time thereby actually creating business where it didn’t exist before.
PORKED the locals get Porked again
While I think it is a good thing to bring people to the area I am against it being at the playfield. Put it at the airport or someplace else. I will also mention that I feel this way because I live in Pioneer Village and the sound/bass is very unnerving and disruptive to our household.
I have an idea..I think the city council and all who approved this should rent one of the many vacation rentals in Pioneer Village over the course of the event and see how much fun it is to put up with the noise.
Alright, so this would be great if we could close 50 and have it wedged between the casinos as a noise block. But that would take a loop road. It would also be great inside a convention center…
Once again, TRPA shows its ineffectiveness as it hides in the comfort of its offices and takes no action on a contentious issue that violated its own ordinances.
Why is it this event needs to go so late? Move the times up the first 2 days to where the event ends by 7pm-8pm. Later times bring drugs and alcohol to the event. Give the residents a break! Again the city is being a whore by prostituting itself to tourists instead of to the locals who live here full time. Let the lawsuits begin!
I am Happy to hear this going on again, People say ,put it at the airport, Do you not know people live over there to ? I think it helps the economy, and the young , and old, to get out and enjoy it, Your not dead yet,I am stoked,and I bet alot of others are to,Thanks Lake Tahoe,Have fun,Think Positive,
Why can’t this be out at camp rich? Not too many full time residents out there.
I think it’s GREAT that it will be back. Yes I do hear it from my house but what it does for the community is great. Let the committee work out some of the details and you may be surprised, let’s help our local businesses.
Glad to hear that Dory Smith will be on the committee. As neighbors, he and Diana experienced the same wall pounding, window rattlng, sinus and chest throbing effects that I did. Our street became a de-facto parking lot with noise until the wee hours and partiers releiving themselves in front of our homes and littering the street with cups, bottles and cigarette butts. If these issues can be effectively addressed, I will support events like this so long as they bring economic benefit to the community.
IF, however, the sound intensity cannot be adaquately contained as deep bass infra-sounds are very difficult to contain, the fur will fly. You can count on the residents of neighborhoods that sit at ground zero to use every tool at our disposal to monitor, and if necessary, litigate this.
I sincerely hope this works. No one wants a protracted fight, but a repeat of anything even close to last time will not be tollerated and won’t go unchallenged.
All this concert does is bring sorrow to so many. Please have it somewhere besides the college. Why do we have to take pressure off of Stateline? Keep everyone in one place, not in residential neighborhoods. Thank you Tom Davis for your suggestion. Last year Snow Globe made me physically ill. Some of us have to go to work. Please Please find another location. NOT the homes of Tahoe citizens. Please listen this time. Thank you.
Oh no not again. Tom Wendell, well said. I agree with you.
“Smith and his wife, Diana Hamilton, were not the only residents affected by the noise.That whole neighborhood seemed to flood the city (staff, police, council) with complaints.”
Which neighborhood is “That whole neighborhood…?”
There is only one proper venue in this area for an event of this size. Harvey’s parking lot where all of the other concerts are held. You’ll still have your dope heads and shoppers coming over to South Lake to do their shopping. A concert located in a residential area is ridiculous!
I agree Bob, but it sounds like it is a go. I wish I could leave town, but not able to do that. I have to work.
Tom Wendell and Bob .
I agree Tom , the noise in Sierra Tract was way over the top last year.But let me be clear, I started going to Rock Concerts back when Jim Burgett opened the Fun House in 1960 something, which is now the Fremont Mall,(Freshies, Aloha ice cream and others) before that it was a Safeway store.
So I’m no stranger to loud music. Although I’m paying the price now with diminshed hearing. (Thank you Steve Miller,Led Zeppalin, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa and so many others!) Just a bit ago I saw Neil Young at Harveys then a short time later saw Joe Cocker and Huey Lewis there as well. Both excellent shows by the way.
I think Bob has the best idea. Move Snow Globe to Harveys parking lot. Good stage, great sound system and lots of parking.
Lets not have a repeat of last year. Way too much volume and going on too late, young kids staggering around in front of my house, throwing up in the street, beer cans scattered all over.
With just some work by the promoter and the city this could be a good event that is enjoyable for the people that attend as well as any neighboring areas.
Take Care, Old Long Skiis
Take the Snow Globe Festival to Northstar where people who are visiting for the event can enjoy it with out disrupting an entire city..
Very happy the event is back, within walking distance from me, and making revenue for South Lake Tahoe :)
I can put up with anything for 3 days if it benefits the majority ;)
A blizzard from Dec. 29-31, would make things even more fun.
Get a bullet proof contract with all bands, EAG and Donnelly with big fines and on the spot cancelation if noise or BASE leaves the city property. Thanks Dory for helping the city with monitoring sound and the BASE! Also no robo calls from the police dept. If the city brings it answer the calls and no smoking is no smoking thats everybody all events. Pray for snow!
All the complainers, stop your crying!
Without the Lake, Tahoe is Chico Ca – If your a college kid this is the spot. If you would like to live here…think again this town has changed – “move now just visit” should be the slogan
I can’t believe the city is bringing it back with all the controversy. And the field, I walked the field after the event and found stuck gum, cigarette marks and metal objects in the grass. I’m shocked the field survived the last Snow Globe, I dont know if it would survive another. As for a money generator, how about a more “Tahoe style” event, rather than a pre teen rave that promotes underage drinking and drug use.
I can’t believe every one of you complaining. This event brought in tons of money for our awful economy, and you guys are complaining how you couldn’t fall asleep and the bass was hurting you. Its ridiculous how every one of you has to look on the negative aspects of this great festival. i guess its more important that you get a few extra hours of sleep than to help your city. If its really that big of a deal to you, rent out your house or condo for a few days during the new years eve weekend and stay in a hotel or with relatives. Also, all the people coming up with “great solutions” for this festival, really need to be realistic. Ending the event by 7 or 8 is not logical at all. 10 is very early for this years event. For you people suggesting to move the event to Harvey’s stage, that would completely ruin the event. It is a festival, not a concert. It requires multiple spaces for performers like the tents this previous year. The Community College is a perfect location. All of you lucky and rich enough to live at Lake Tahoe can suck it up for 3 out of 365 days a year. You”re be completely selfish and ridiculous.
@Nathan
You’re ridiculous, this event was held right next to the poorest neighborhood in the city. Rich enough? You are aware the you’re describing a community run by rich people and staffed at minimum wage. 6 of 10 residents are on food stamps, most can’t rely on having a job the whole year.
Your comment shows your selfishness and entitlement attitude, along with a severe detachment from reality.
I agree with nathan. This event will make south lake businesses a lot of money. I thought I recall reading last year that some people had their most lucrative days in a long time! Unfortunately, no one will be happy with how this event is executed, especially those living close by. I think everyone should be thankful for the small boost this will give local businesses, even if you have to deal with extra noise and mess for 3 days. After last years awful snowfall, every little bit will help. Think positive everyone!
come on….everyone knows we need as much business in south lake as possible. this is 3 days during the new year. if you cant deal with this for 3 days a year than you are very selfish. A little bass doesnt hurt anyone. Its 2012 get a grasp on reality and just deal with it.