Bad reviews have been escalating for the three-day Moonshine Arts and Music Festival at Lanier Raceplex earlier this month - not from the attendees, but from neighbors in the area.
During the public comment period at Monday afternoon's Hall County Commission work session, two residents - representing two different neighborhoods in the area - voiced their complaints.
"We were unaware [we would hear] the constant sound of the bass - it was pound, pound, pound," said Inge Leszczynski, who lives in Ivy Ridge subdivision east of Lanier Raceplex. "I understand that the vote was 3-2 by you commissioners to approve this. Do any of you live nearby Lanier race track? Did any of you attend the festival?"
Commissioner Scott Gibbs acknowledged that he had dropped by the area on Saturday, July 1.
Leszczynski also told commissioners she was appalled at the crude language she could hear over the sound system.
"Families that attended heard this, people in surrounding subdivisions heard this. Totally uncalled for," Leszczynski said. "There was no consideration on the part of you who voted for it [the festival]."
Steve McMichael and his wife, residents of Regency Park subdivision, had similar complaints. McMichael told commissioners he thought the festival organizers had been dishonest in their application, which was approved at a May 10 commission voting session.
"[The planners] said that the trees and hills would mitigate the noise. It didn't affect it at all. It just seems they didn't give you the right information to make a decision and we do appreciate the chairman [Richard Higgins] and Ms. [Kathy] Cooper who voted against it," McMichael said.
He also said the three days of noise were unbearable.
"The windows in my house vibrated," McMichael said. "There's no sense in that."
At the end of the work session, Chairman Richard Higgins said he understood that 911 operators in the county had received 66 noise complaint calls about the festival from June 30 through July 2.
Higgins said the crowd for the most part was well-behaved. He did note that two of the concert planners had been arrested, but not for violations at the concert. Hall County Dep. Steven Wilbanks confirmed the arrests of Bryan French, 34, of Apison, TN and Haley Helfrich, 22, of Knoxville, TN. Both had been wanted on outstanding warrants from Tennessee. Wilbanks said he did not know the nature of those warrants.
Higgins said if the organizers of the festival want to return to Lanier Raceplex with their event, they would have to reapply for a permit.
