By WMBD TV
CHILLICOTHE, Ill. (WMBD) — The iconic music festival, Summer Camp, has been canceled.
That’s according to Kevin Yates, who is the executive director of the Chillicothe Park District.
Yates’ district does not cover Three Sisters Park, where the festival was supposed to be held this year.
It was to be the 25th year for the festival, which featured jam bands, with a variety of music and eclectic crowds and a return to its home.
Last year, the festival was to be on Peoria’s Riverfront, but that was nixed just two months before the Memorial Day event.
The move could mean a permanent end to the festival, which featured days of camping at the park, as well as a counterculture, 1960s-feel to the show. The concert, over the years, has brought in big-name artists like George Clinton, Phil Lesh, moe., Willie Nelson, and others.
But along with the throngs of people came dozens of arrests for drugs and alcohol. One year had some 20,000 people attending. That had largely tailed off over the past decade, but the festival was still a big issue for local first responders who had to staff the festival to take care of patrons.
It was also a huge economic boon to Chillicothe, given that in some years, the number of guests attending was more than the village’s population.
WMBD TV first reported on this story. You can read the original story online at CIProud.com.
