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Desert Mus planned forBy Edna GunderscnPlans for El Paso's DesertMusic Festival to be held this June 11, 12, and 13 wereofficially announced at a press conference by the production's president Tony Ball, a U.T. El Paso pre-law student. Ball, said he and 280 volunteers have been organizing the festival since last August.A crowd of about half amillion is expected, with tickets to be sold at $18 each for the full three days. Confirmedperformers for the festival are: Ten Years After, the Who, Jethro Tull, Traffic, Spirit. Joan Baez, Niel Young and Crazy Horse, Quicksilver, Sha-Na-Na, Paul♦ Butterfield Blues Band, Canned Heat, the Grateful Dead, John Sebastian, Buffy St. Marie, Lee Michaels, Albert and B.B. King, Savoy Brown and Poco. Ball added the possibility that George Harrison may appear.Land for the festival will be located off Interstate 10 East of Horizon Boulevard.Presently we are four miles outside the city limits, said Ball, It may extend further but we won't leave Hudspeth County. We had to give up the original acreage, which was about 23 acres. Now we're trying to get a larger parcel of land. We coy Id do it with less but we want to be sure.Although no definite area has been yet designated. Ball said, I»feel getttmg the land will be no problem.The Desert Music Festival's largest sponsor so far is the Bank America of California, although several local investments areinvolved.On hand we have aboui $400,000, which leaves a deficit of $350,000, said Ball. I think that after people have heard about this, the businessmen will have more knowledge of what we're doing and be willing to invest.Ball told of an extensive out-of-state campaign to draw participants, and of an article concerning the promotion to appear in Rolling Stone magazine. According to Ball, } electrical wiring, equipment, piping, sewage, water supplies and medical facilities have all been included in plans, and are under completion. To combat 4 the heat, he told reporters that a huge canvas suspended by weather balloons would shield the crowd from the sun. He added that William Beaumontic Festival June, 1971General Hospital would provide helicoptors for first aid, and Red Cross divisions in Arizona and New Mexico were being consulted for medical help if necessary, since El Paso did not hold adequate facilities.Ball said that after talking to former Police Chief Earl Chokiski and County Sheriff Mike Sullivan, he felt they weren't too thrilled about it.The Federal Narcotics Agents went into cardiac arrests when they found out about us. said Ball, but they were more than generous.He added that plans included a private Desert Music Festival Police Force to momter and control drug problems.'There are only two opinions on the Desert Music Festival, said Ball, People are wither violently for or violently against it.The upcoming election may be the only problem. he added, concluding, Unless this is made a campaign issue, and they really want to drag it out, I see no problem.Police Chief Bob Minnie later said of Ball and the festival, It's this guy's pipe dream; all in his head. Everytime he comes up with something we check it out and it's completely different.He denied Ball's claim thai Minnie said traffic would be blocked to Alamogordo, but admitted he had been confronted by Ball frequently during the last eight months. Minnie felt the festival was mere talk and Ball was having delusions of grandeur.Sonny Melendrez, disc jockey for KINT, also felt the festival plans were too uncertain, and began looking for proof in Ball's statement. According to Melendrez the bands Poco, Grateful Dead, and B.B. King were not contracted, and were not aware of El Paso's festival.I was concerned because we were going to run $5000 worth of advertising, said Melendres, so I checked the financial basis and found that the Coronado State Bank had no account with Tony Ball.' (Ball said he had $10,000 of festival money stored there.)When Ball was informed of this, he commented, As far as Sonny Melendrez goes, I guarantee he's going to be sorry. I'm not very concerned with what he ahs to say .
Newspaper Details
El Paso Prospector
El Paso, Texas, US
Thu, Mar 18, 1971
Page 3
Full Page
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Anonymous
USA 06 Jan 2018
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