The Scoop: What exactly does Bonnaroo mean?
Some of us care greatly about Bonnaroo. Others just wish the guy with four cases of bottled water in front of us at Kroger would hurry up and get out of the way.
Whatever your stance, there’s no denying the fact that for one long weekend, Bonnaroo has an impact on Warren County. As with anything relatively new (the Manchester-based music festival is in its third year), there are a fair amount of Bonnaroo questions. I’ve heard these questions, and to the best of my ability, I will try to provide a few answers.
Q: What exactly does the word Bonnaroo mean?
A: Great question and I’m not 100 percent sure of the answer. Best I can tell, Bonnaroo stems from a Greek word which roughly means, “to consume large quantities of alcohol.”
Q: Does everyone at Bonnaroo drink heavily?
A: As far as I can tell, everybody but Southern Standard reporters.
Q: Where do 100,000 people stay in Manchester?
A: For three days, most of these folks call a 600-acre field their home. Some have tents, some sleep in the reclined position in the front seat of their cars, and some roll out a sleeping bag and fight the mosquitoes under the stars.
There’s no running water, no showers, and hundreds of port-o-potties. People are forced to pay $7 for a sandwich, they can’t wash their hands, and worst of all, they don’t have AC. Fortunately, the large quantities of alcohol mask most of these problems.
Q: How can law officers stand by and not take action when they know illegal drug activity is taking place inside Bonnaroo?
A: Bear with me while I share with you my very basic, very abbreviated philosophy on life. Without getting into great detail, people do things for three basic reasons: 1) for money (this is self-explanatory); 2) for lust (this may be a lust for sex, a lust for gambling, etc.); and 3) to get into heaven (this may be going to church, donating money, or helping orphans).
The reason law officers stand passively by and let Bonnaroo patrons run wild is because of reason No. 1 – the money. From hotels to gas pumps, Bonnaroo injects a hefty chunk of change into the Coffee County economy – and that’s not to mention the hundreds of thousands spent in surrounding cities such as McMinnville.
If officers cracked down on illegal activity, Bonnaroo would lose its luster and its massive following. And if Bonnaroo goes, so does its millions.
Q: What about the local sheriff’s department and its effort last year to crack down against Bonnaroo festival-goers? What was the reason all those cases were thrown out of court?
A: The people who were given tickets on their way to Bonnaroo actually escaped justice under one of the finer points of U.S. law. That point basically says you can’t arrest someone just because you know they’re breaking the law. They have to do something first, such as cause a three-car pileup or bomb an office complex. Then it’s OK to arrest them after the damage is done.
Q: Is this really a smart policy?
A: No, but the criminals sure like it.
Q: So what’s your overall take on Bonnaroo?
A: The fact one of the country’s biggest music festivals takes place just 20 minutes from McMinnville is nothing but good news. I certainly plan to be there.
But, without a doubt, the best aspect of Bonnaroo is that the thousands of young, wild and let’s say colorful people who descend on Middle Tennessee will be leaving Sunday. Then they’re someone else’s problem.
James Clark is editor of the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].