june-2010

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JUNE 2010 | UNITED.COM
temporary parking lot. And it keeps happening, year after year.
Bonnaroo is the brainchild of Ashley Capps, CEO of
Knoxville-based company AC Entertainment, who was
inspired by both the massive European summer music
festivals and by the feel-good vibe he experienced at
Phish concerts. “Capps went after that subculture of
fans clamoring for good music not being played by the
mainstream,” says Jeff Cuellar, AC’s director of marketing.
So far, Bonnaroo feels inextricably linked to the bucolic hills
around Manchester. However, showbiz is a tough industry.
Anything could happen.
“The festival will be in Manchester
to stay as long as we keep pushing to
develop the brand,” Cuellar says.
“We’re in a society where people
are always looking to move on to
what’s next. But we’ve created
something more intimate than any old
stadium show.”
That’s good news for local offi cials.
Here’s why they’re so enthusiastic:
In 2005, Bonnaroo fans spent $8.6
million in Coff ee County, and festival
organizers dropped another $1.9
million. The total economic impact was estimated at
$14 million, including $4.3 million in personal income
created locally that year. Bonnaroo isn’t just fi lling up
Manchester’s rainy-day fund, it’s funneling much-needed
cash into government coff ers—$412,796 in one year
alone—and creating an estimated 191 jobs. Green, the
groundskeeper, never thought he would own a 105-acre
farm before Bonnaroo. Last year, he bought one. Not to
mention another bulldozer.
“I guess I’m the luckiest guy around,” Green says.
The Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce, a
four-room offi ce in a two-story building, sits on a
square in the center of town surrounded by law offi ces
and the courthouse. Around the corner, there’s Baker
LILITH FAIR NATIONWIDE JUNE
27–AUGUST 16 This venerable
celebration of women in
music returns with a topnotch
lineup: Cat Power,
Emmylou Harris, the Go-Go’s
and more. lilithfair.com
TASTE OF CHICAGO JUNE
30–JULY 4 The largest food
festival in the Midwest feeds
three million people in Grant
Park. explorechicago.org
RHINE IN FLAMES RHINE
VALLEY, GERMANY SATURDAYS,
JULY-SEPTEMBER A stunning
fi ve-city fi reworks festival
with medieval scenery as a
backdrop. rhein-in-fl ammen.com
ROSKILDE FESTIVAL ROSKILDE,
DENMARK JULY 1–4 This rock
fest includes Gorillaz, Alice
in Chains and Patti Smith.
roskilde-festival.dk
ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL
NEW ORLEANS JULY 2–4 Janet
Jackson, Gladys Knight,
Alicia Keys and De La
Soul are among dozens of
soulful acts hitting NoLa.
essencemusicfestival.com