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Gross said he needed to make a bold move to sell more tickets since the costs for his rookie festival keep rising, a situation he pins on local borough officials.
Gross said the New Beaver Volunteer Fire Department demanded the festival's parking revenue. Gross had been counting on that money, an estimated $10,000, to help offset some of his costs for hiring 60 musical acts.
New Beaver and Wampum - the two boroughs in which the privately owned Mines & Meadows sits - have continued to add costly stipulations, such as requiring gravel to be placed on the dirt ground where equipment trucks would enter the festival. Such requirements, some set after the Mines & Meadows contract was signed, have devoured Gross' potential profits, he said.
"I'm going to take a huge loss. I know that," said Gross, a western New York promoter.
Wampum Council President Karolee Loughhead said the borough is just looking after the safety of its residents.
"Our police will be out 24 hours those three days, and it's a part-time force," Loughhead said.
New Beaver Mayor Michael Swanik Jr. said, "Police and fire departments are paying attention to make sure it works out right."
Swanik added, "It would be nice it if makes some money for people and organizations in the borough."
But Gross, who is hiring private security to patrol the festival grounds, said local officials need to see the big picture and recognize this fledgling event as a positive and potentially long-term event for the community.
"Everyone wants to capitalize on this before it even happens," Gross said. "When people lose sight of the dream and don't act as partners and only start thinking monetarily, it hurts everyone."
Gross already is thinking of moving next year's festival to the Butler County Fairgrounds, where he thinks he could get a better price. Those fairgrounds would lack the novelty of Mines & Meadows, which will feature three JamBaloosa stages, one being underground in a former limestone mine off Old Route 18.
With a budget of $150,000, JamBaloosa has sold about $1,000 tickets so far, with another 1,000 out on consignment, said Gross, whose pre-show prediction was 6,000. The show will go on no matter what, said Gross, who expects tickets to sell more briskly once the date gets closer.
"People are hesitant to buy. They want to see something set up," Gross said.
Pre-sale tickets cost $50, with the gate price $75.
Gross said ticket sales have picked up since the JamBaloosa Web site announced the addition of Wu-Tang Clan, a collective of eight rappers who have enjoyed much critical and commercial success.
The Wu-Tang roster for JamBaloosa would include rap stars Raekwon and Ghostface Killah but not fellow vocal star and actor Method Man, Gross said.
JamBaloosa's lineup emphasizes jam-bands and other upbeat acts, mostly drawn from Ohio and Pennsylvania. Local acts include Beaver County reggae-rock band the Sun Kings and Pittsburgh R&B group the Boogie Hustlers with Margot B. The festival's best-known acts, prior to the addition of Wu-Tang, were the duo E.O.T.O., featuring members of the Colorado jam band String Cheese Incident, and drum-and-bass group BioDiesel featuring Johnny Rabb, proclaimed the world's fastest drummer by the Guinness Book of World Records.
"It's important that people embrace the live music," Gross said. "It's a rarity when you get to see a music festival in your hometown with a plethora of great acts."
But so far in and around Wampum, there's not much buzz.
"No one seems to be saying too much about it," council President Loughhead said. "They're just hoping it's good."
New Beaver Mayor Swanik said, "I'm willing to go along with this thing once and see how it works out. If it works, it might be worth doing again. We'll have to see."
Scott Tady can be reached online at stady@timesonline.com.
