I was watching some footage of the 1969 Woodstock concert, and it was mentioned many times how well-behaved the kids who attended were, despite the fact most were stoned on marijuana. 400,000 people were at a large rock concert and it was peaceful.

Fast forward to Woodstock 1994. Tens of thousands of dollars in damage due to the attendees. Several women were molested/raped. People pulled down the light tower and anything else they could get their hands on, simply to cause destruction. Fires burned for days. Why? Well, it was VERY hot and they had vendors set up to sell bottles of water, but they were selling for $10 a bottle. The toilets had been knocked over and destroyed. It rained so the dirt became mud which made for a messy concert. One bandmember of one group was mistaken for an unruly fan and lost several teeth in the melee.

Recently my area held their annual Whaling City Festival in New Bedford, Mass. New Bedford is the city mentioned in Moby Dick as the whaling capital and it is the number one fishing port in the USA. Each year they have a festival for 3 days with amusement rides, live entertainment, flea markes, food, classic car shows and more.

While I’ve never gone, one year they broadcast live and it was the year Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch performed, right before they hit it big. They’ve had other “name” acts who appear right as they are making it big and who have to do the summer festival circuit to make a name for themselves.

The food is horribly overpriced, greasy and cheap. $3 for a bottle of water or cup of soda, $4 for a hot dog, etc. I’m not sure of the prices for the amusement rides, but I imagine it’s not cheap. Vendors show up each year to show their flea market items and most are things you’d never, ever want to buy but for some reason, at a festival, you feel inclined to purchase them.

I lived half a mile from there growing up (it’s held at a huge park and zoo) and you could actually hear the music — loudly — from my house. THAT’S how boisterous it would become.

Apparently, ever year there are minor skirmishes, someone has an extra beer or two and ends up in a fight. This year, on the night before it closed, at 9 PM (it closes at 9 PM) a few teenaged girls got into a fight, and before it was over, 23 people were arrested, 21 boys and 2 girls which consisted of 3 juveniles and the rest all late teens.

They had to call in police presence from other towns, they had to block off a major street just to be able to get police vehicles through due to people parking on both sides of the street to attend the festival.

The last night of the festival they closed it at 6 pm to avoid any issues, and next year they say it will close at 7 PM. I don’t agree with this. Why not control the people who are t here and let those who don’t cause a problem enjoy it until 9 PM? Why make the innocent people suffer?

Why don’t kids have any respect for others these days? Why do people feel the need to fight a the drop of a hat? Why can’t kids behave in public?