July 14, 2014 at 4:45 p.m.
Another happy Hodag in the books
Another happy Hodag in the books
"It was a great festival this year, a really great festival. We had great weather the whole time. Really, it was perfect weather for a festival," said organizer Gerry Van Harpen. "People had a great time. They got to see some great performances. Everything went great."
Van Harpen said approximately 20,000 people converged on the grounds to hear country greats such as Neal McCoy, Kenny Rogers and Darius Rucker.
"We had close to 20,000, right around 20,000 people show up for this year's festival," she said. "That's what we like to have. That's exactly what we like to have."
Safety is always a primary concern at the fest. Before last year's event, Van Harpen met with the Pine Lake Town Board to discuss additional safety measures such as no parking zones and a walking path to keep people from walking on the town roads.
The changes have had a positive effect on the event, Van Harpen said.
"The second year, everyone's used to the rules, so they know where to walk now, where to park, where not to park, all of that," Van Harpen said. "They know what to do to be safe and that's why we did everything, to make sure everyone had a safe and fun time at the festival."
Lieutenant Lloyd Gauthier of the Oneida County Sheriff's Office said it's too early for exact arrest numbers but underage drinking tickets were down and county ordinance violations were up compared to last year.
"Overall, there were less arrests for underage drinking, but more arrests this year than past years in county ordinance violations," he said.
"Most of it was disorderly conduct or trespassing," he added. "When we talk about disorderly conduct, it can be anything from fighting to urinating in public, to creating a disturbance by yelling and screaming, to resisting or obstructing an officer."
While organizers and law enforcement kept the festival running smoothly, the thousands of people attending the event were concerned with one thing and one thing only - having a great time.
According to those who stuck around until the very end on Sunday, a good time was had by all.
"Every year we have a blast. Every year we think it's never going to get any better and every year it does. That's why we keep coming back, because each year we meet new people, hear (musicians) we've never heard before. Somehow it just gets better and better each time," Jared Gerrity said.
"Our group seems to grow each year, too. We try to get someone new to come with us each year and, of course, once they come once, they'll be coming again and again. And now, we've got the kids of the guys in our group coming, so we're really making this a generation thing."
Friends and family are a big part of what makes the fest an enjoyable experience.
"We started coming probably about 10 years ago. At first, it was just a small group with me and my sister and a couple of our friends," Tim Jackson said. "Now all of our family comes with us and even more of our friends. (Our group) has just grown and grown each year. The first time we were here, we just had one small campsite. Now we take up three. And at first, we just had our small little camper and some stuff like that, but ever since my buddy started coming with us, he's a big camping guy, so now our site is stocked with everything we need and more - music, food, drinks, games, nice chairs, places to sleep that are actually comfortable. It's really turned into an amazing experience for us."
Camping is a major part of the experience but the true draw is the music. Everyone can agree on that. Getting anyone to agree on who put on the best show is another story.
"Kenny Rogers was the best this year, hands down. You don't even have to ask anyone else," George Pecky said.
His son, Jake, disagreed.
"Yeah, Kenny was good, and he was probably the best if you're that old, but Josh Turner put on the best show this year," he said.
"It's cool to hear the old guys like Kenny, and I know (my dad) and guys his age love that, but (Turner) was the best this year. He's got an energy, a presence, that can't be beat."
Fans throw out a lot of names when asked about their favorite Hodag performer, but one is always mentioned again and again, Mr. Hodag himself, Neal McCoy.
"Neal (McCoy) once again owned it. Who else gets up there and walks around on the catwalk? Who else shows up each and every year and just blows everybody away? It's Neal, baby, it's Neal," Courtney Alexson said.
"I don't care what anyone says. Neal is Country Fest. You can talk about who's in second, but Neal always is, and always will be, in first."
McCoy is already on the festival website prepping for next year.
Only 360 days until everyone's back at it again.
Marcus Nesemann may be reached at [email protected].
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