The Planet Bluegrass festival site was sitting in three to four feet of water after a historic flood hit Colorado.
A Rocky Mountain ranch that’s home to five historic Colorado music festivals has been severely damaged by floodwaters, just weeks after closing out its 2013 season.
Between three and four feet of brackish water have turned festival site Planet Bluegrass in Lyons, Colo., into a “canal of mud,” according to mayor Victoria Simonsen. Planet Bluegrass is situated on a river and adjacent to cliffs and there was just no place else for the water and mud to go when a historic 100-year storm hit on Thursday.
"They canceled their whole fall schedule. I think the water was over the stage house there," said Jason Zink of Sherpa Concerts, which promotes concerts in the Western United States including Colorado. "Everything in Lyons is pretty much gone from what I hear."
Phones were still down in Lyons on Tuesday, as were most utilities in the small town at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Flooding shut down Lyons' water, wastewater, electric and gas services, and it could be months before they are restored, Simonsen said. The Mayor has called for a voluntary evacuation for most of the city.
"We have major concerns for public health and safety,"said Simonsen. “We have not had a chance to do a complete survey of the area or the Planet Bluegrass site, but what I can tell you right now is that all access to Lyons is restricted to emergency personnel.”
Planet Bluegrass is home to the Telluride Bluegrass festival, scheduled for June 19-22, 2014; RockyGrass Academy, July 20-24, 2014; the RockyGrass festival, July 25-27, 2014; The Song School, Aug. 10-14, 2014; and the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, Aug. 15-17, 2014.
“Planet Bluegrass is basically underwater — that’s all we really know right now since no one can get in or out of there,” said Duncan Goodman, co-owner and Operations manager for Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver, which hosted a benefit for the venue on Friday night. “The National Guard is in Lyons right now trying to sort everything out.”
Other Colorado venues escaped mostly unscathed. The famed Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colo., was the victim of a viral prank — someone sent out a very believable photograph of the iconic shed underwater. It turned out to be a Photoshop prank, and a weekend concert by The Lumineers went on as scheduled. AEG Live Rocky Mountain VP Don Strausberg said the company’s venues also escaped unscathed, including the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colo., which faced some heavy rains. A comedy show by Bill Cosby at the Budweiser Events Center in rain-soaked Loveland, Colo., went forward as planned and an official with World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo., said the building also avoided closures.
While many venues escaped the storms without significant flood damage, many employees who work in the entertainment industry have suffered from damage as a result of the floods.
"A lot of our staff were affected in their personal lives. There are people who got washed out and are dealing with complete losses right now," said Brian Carp, who runs the Fox Theatre in Boulder, Colo. "Right now we're grouping together and trying to supplement our staff. We're back open and hoping the community will come out and band together around live entertainment."
Interviewed for this article: Victoria Simonsen, (303) 823-6622; Don Strausberg, (303) 588-3185; Jason Zink, (615) 285-9592; Duncan Goodman, (303) 297-1772; Brian Carp, (303) 447-0095