Country Thunder begins in Clearwater
Country music fans are kicking up their boots in Clearwater this weekend as the Country Thunder festival rolls into town. FOX 13’s Genevieve Curtis reports.
Country Thunder strikes a chord in Clearwater after move from St. Pete Beach
CLEARWATER, Fla. – Country music fans are kicking up their boots in Clearwater this weekend as the Country Thunder festival rolls into town.
The multi-day festival was originally planned for St. Pete Beach, but organizers moved the event to Coachman Park after concerns surrounding wildlife and sea turtle nesting areas along the beach.
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Fans and local businesses told FOX 13 the new location is hitting all the right notes.
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The backstory:
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The three-day country music festival runs May 8 to 10 at Coachman Park. Crews spent the past several days building stages, setting up sound equipment and preparing for large crowds.
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The concert was originally scheduled to be held at the TradeWinds Resort on St. Pete Beach, but environmentalists and residents raised concerns about the sea turtles and shorebirds nesting during this time of year.
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The concert also failed to obtain the necessary permits from the state and city in order to host the concert. With a month to go before showtime, they made the move to downtown Clearwater.
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What they’re saying:
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Some say the move may actually make the festival easier to enjoy.
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“I think it’s easier to park here than it is in St. Pete. And I think it’s also good for downtown Clearwater,” said Clearwater resident Britten Clark.
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Clark also supports the decision to move the festival away from the beach to help protect nesting sea turtles.
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“I’m happy. I love turtles. I would be a turtle lady in my retired life, so I’m happy for the sea life, but I think Coachman Park is great,” Clark said.
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While the turtles get some peace and quiet on the beach, businesses in downtown Clearwater are hoping the festival crowd turns into a busy and profitable weekend.
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Big picture view:
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At Gulfside Pizza and Subs, owner Miranda Holmes says her team has been preparing for days.
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“We have prepped extra doughs in advance. We make everything fresh so we had to prep extra dough, extra sauce. Just make sure we have all the sodas. Everything’s stocked and ready to go,” Holmes said.
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The family-run pizzeria, which opened earlier this year, is hoping the influx of visitors helps introduce more people to their business.
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“We’ve only been here since January, so I’m looking for it to boost the traffic in general and just bring in some new faces to try our pizza,” Holmes said.
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Holmes says she hopes festivals like Country Thunder continue making downtown Clearwater a destination for large events.
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“The fact that they’re bringing more stuff like the Country Fest here and bringing other festivals too, it helps out a lot for businesses in the area,” she said.
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Dig deeper:
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A newly obtained agreement between the city of Clearwater and Country Thunder outlines how the event will be paid for and managed.
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The document shows the festival will cost an estimated $139,600 in city services, including police, fire, emergency medical response and park operations.
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Organizers were required to pay about half of that cost upfront, with the remaining balance due after the event.
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The agreement includes a provision that could shape future events in the area.
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What’s next:
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For the next five years, Country Thunder cannot hold a similar country music festival within 30 miles of Clearwater without first offering the city the chance to host it.
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The Source: Information for this story was gathered from interviews with Country Thunder concertgoers, the owner of Gulfside Pizza and Subs and previous FOX 13 News reporting.
