From: Randy Stewart
Nineveh
My wife and I attended the free Our Hospice of South Central Indiana concert at Mill Race Park on Sept. 1. We have attended many concerts at the park in the past and this one proved to be just as good. I thank the organizers for putting such a great show on.
I do have one suggestion though: Do not allow concert attendees rope off private areas for themselves. This action of some attendees was nothing short of being audacious, which Webster defines as “contemptuous of law, religion, or decorum.” For some to think that they deserve their own personal space at a free festival shows complete contempt for others and their rights.
Besides being just plain rude, there is the possibility of another downfall. Consider this: If every attendee roped off their own personal space, there would not be enough room for everyone who attended. And if there is not enough room, the organization would not collect as many donations.
We have attended festival seating events on many, many occasions. We’ve been to the old Market Square Arena, Ruoff Music Center, ISO at Johnson County Park and White River Park, just to name a few. We have never seen such behavior even attempted, let alone tolerated by the security staff. I could only imagine what would happen if attendees tried this in the lawn at Ruoff. It would undoubtedly cause uproar.
I approached one of the people who had roped off an area approximately 6 feet by 6 feet for himself and one other person. When asked why, he said he was saving space for friends. Well, after 30 minutes or so, and no other guest showing up, I decided to remove the rope myself so my wife and I could move over and have a better view. The man became upset and actually said to me, “You can get shot for doing that!” We eventually moved to the rear to enjoy the remainder of the concert with what turned out to be a much friendlier crowd.
A festival is meant to be joyous time. It is an opportunity to celebrate an event with others and often leads to meeting new people from your community. This type of “stand-offish, leave me alone” attitude needs to be left at home. If a person does not care to be in a crowd, I suggest they only attend events that offer reserved seating.
