Wakarusa To Walk?

Jefferson County commissioners have rejected plans to move the annual Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival from Clinton State Park in Lawrence, Kan., to a site at the nearby Circle S Ranch.

Commissioners, who turned down a similar proposal last year, voiced concern over infrastructure issues and said nearby residents were strongly opposed to the plan, the Lawrence Journal-World reported.

Promoter Brett Mosiman previously told Pollstar he planned to move the event because of “inequities in contractual terms versus other events.”

Over the past four to six years, Wakarusa’s rent went up “somewhere in the neighborhood of 800 percent,” according to the promoter. Meanwhile, a nearby country fest with a similar setup – Country Stampede – reportedly wasn’t subjected to similar fee hikes by the parks department.

Mosiman told commissioners that he still plans to promote Wakarusa, but is “not optimistic” about hosting the event at the state park or finding another location in the Lawrence area for the festival, the Journal-World said.