The final day of Summerfest 2011 wasn't violent, but it turned out to be dangerous.
The Rock 'n Sole half marathon and 10K had some problems related to the heat, humidity, and poor planning.
Runners participating in the event complained about a lack of water stations on the Hoan Bridge.
The bridge to nowhere became the bridge to no water yesterday.
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:More than 20 runners were taken to the hospital and about 50 received emergency medical attention for heat-related problems during Summerfest's inaugural Rock 'n Sole event Sunday.
The half-marathon and 10K race turned into a full-fledged emergency when early hydration stations ran out of water and cups. Runners started collapsing in the humid 85-degree heat, and some were unable to get immediate help because of a lack of medical aid stations. No medical aid was available on the 2.5-mile-long Hoan Bridge.
Organizers ended the race around 10:30 a.m. because of dangerous conditions, although many runners had crossed the finish line by then.
The Milwaukee Fire Department provided about 15 runners with IV drops and took them to Columbia St. Mary's Hospital and Aurora Sinai Medical Center. Bell Ambulance transported 6 to 10 more, Milwaukee Fire Department Deputy Chief Jack Christianson said.
"We saw a lot of IVs started, just to get fluids back," Christianson said. "I don't know the number of IV bays we went through, but every patient we transported had an IV.
"Dehydration was a big problem. I was looking at people there and you could tell, 'Keep an eye on that one.' Next thing you know, there he went. It was very hectic for about an hour, a little more than an hour. It did put quite some stress on the area hospitals. The emergency rooms were inundated in pretty rapid order."
Multiple runners said hydration stations as early as 2.5 miles into the course ran out of water and cups. The next station, a mile away, had no cups. Volunteers had to pour water straight into runners' hands.
Race officials acknowledged their failure to provide enough water in the right places and apologized.
...Schuler admitted that hydration stations along the Hoan Bridge, one of the first parts of the course, did not have enough water, but said other later stations were more heavily stocked.
"We had enough water, but not in the right place," Schuler said. "We tried to get water up there as fast as we could, but we couldn't get it up there fast enough."
He largely blamed the lack of water on the little time his crew had to prepare. Drivers said the Hoan Bridge was closed to traffic about 6:30 a.m. Schuler said the bridge was closed at 7 a.m., which gave his 250-volunteer crew less than 45 minutes to cover grates and set up and stock hydration stations before the half-marathon began at 8 a.m.
While some runners said volunteers did a great job and the event overall was good, others were outraged. They called the lack of water, medical aid stations and shade along long stretches of the race "inexcusable" and "appalling" and criticized organizers for gross management failure.
It's unfortunate that it was such a hot and humid day. There was no room for error when it came to having adequate water available for runners.
It turned out to be quite a mess...."They should be embarrassed. They're completely culpable for any heat-related incident that happens," said half-marathon runner Daniel Otto of Chicago, who said he saw two runners collapsed along the course - one right in front of him at mile marker 12. The half-marathon race was 13.1 miles long.
...Many runners demanded a refund, saying organizers didn't deliver the promised basic services for runners, who paid between $40 and $70 to run the 10K or $60 to $100 for the half-marathon.
Edwin Thaves, who ran his 12th race, said he was shocked and called it "inexcusable."
"I was quite surprised for an event that was promoted as being iconic and world class that there was no water on the course after that first station at mile marker 1.5. No water along the rest of the course, at least for the 10K," Thaves said. "It doesn't take a lot of effort to plan an event where there's water. That should be a minimum expectation as far as I'm concerned."
Runners said bystanders offered their garden hose to allow volunteers to fill up water jugs for the runners. Firefighters also set up a fire hose to spray runners around the 13-mile marker to help cool them down.
Some runners said the race should have started earlier, when temperatures were lower. The original start time, set in 2010, was 10:15 a.m. but was changed to 8 a.m.
John Boler, vice president of sales and marketing for Summerfest, said the start time for the 10K run was pushed back 15 minutes, to 8:30 a.m., to accommodate the large number of participants in the 8 a.m. half-marathon.
Despite the extra time, the large number of half-marathon runners meant that the understocked, and according to some runners, understaffed, hydration stations were out of water before the first 10K runners reached them.
Several runners complained that throughout the morning the race's website listed conditions of the race with a green flag and low risk. It wasn't until the afternoon that the page was updated with a "severe" level and black flag, which advises runners to seek immediate shelter because it's considered unsafe to proceed along the course.
I think refunds are in order.
There's no excuse for not having adequate water. __________________
Video, from FOX 6 News: This Summerfest video doesn't give any indication of problems. It even shows the hydration stations fully stocked.
__________________
Rock 'n Sole director apologizes, promises improvements
Summerfest, Day 11 - Summerfest 2011 draws to a close with Sugarland at the Marcus Amphitheater, 7:30 PM.
UPDATE, July 11, 2011: Greenfield man arrested in Summerfest stabbingA Waukesha man is recovering after he was stabbed twice in the stomach during Summerfest Friday night.
Ricardo Moran was near the Harley-Davidson stage at 11 p.m. when he got into an argument with a 24-year-old man from Greenfield. Moran told Today's TMJ4 that the Greenfield man bumped into him. The Greenfield man stabbed him twice with a knife, Milwaukee police Sgt. Mark Stanmeyer said.
The suspect was arrested.
When was the suspect arrested?
Why did it take so long for police to release information on the stabbing?_________________
MSNBC's online report on the Summerfest stabbing at the Dropkick Murphys concert, using WTMJ-TV and JSOnline.com as sources, mentions the race of the attacker.
He is described as a "a white man with a goatee."Summerfest stabbing victim speaks out
In an exclusive interview, Ricardo Moran tells TODAY'S TMJ4 a white man with a goatee bumped into him, then quickly stabbed him twice in the middle of a crowd. "What I saw in his eyes was something different. He had kind of a smirk on his face. Like he intended to bump me to see what would happen, to see if I would defend myself," Moran said.
Here's the text of TMJ4's online report:A Waukesha man is recovering after a violent encounter on the Summerfest grounds Friday night.
In an exclusive interview, Ricardo Moran tells TODAY'S TMJ4 a white man with a goatee bumped into him, then quickly stabbed him twice in the middle of a crowd.
"What I saw in his eyes was something different. He had kind of a smirk on his face. Like he intended to bump me to see what would happen, to see if I would defend myself," Moran said.
Police will talk more about the incident on Monday. Summerfest organizers tell TODAY'S TMJ4 they have not added any security, maintaining the festival already has solid security measures in place.
Again, the attacker's race is mentioned, the MSNBC article being a copy of the TMJ4 piece.
A white guy allegedly committed the violent act.
WHITE. The bad guy is WHITE. However, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, citing TMJ4 as its source, chose to omit the race of the attacker in its online report on the incident.A man was stabbed at Summerfest Friday night, according to WTMJ-TV (Channel 4).
Ricardo Moran told WTMJ a man came out of the crowd Friday night and cut him twice in the stomach and chest. Moran was hospitalized overnight and released on Saturday, the station reported.
Moran said he was at Summerfest with his wife. At one point, he felt a strong push and turned to see a man who quickly stabbed him. He said he did not know the man or what prompted the attack.
Summerfest officials could not be reached for comment.
The Milwaukee Police Department said it would not release any information on the incident until a Monday morning news conference.
It's weird that TMJ4, and accordingly, MSNBC, chose to report on the attacker's race, while the Journal Sentinel did not.
Has the Journal Sentinel decided it's going to be colorblind?
It's also weird that the police department is staying quiet until a Monday news conference.
Why a news conference at all?
Does this incident merit a news conference, scheduled more than two days after the attack?
Given the PR disaster of the mob attacks last weekend, I suppose I can understand the lengthy silence by the department. All parties probably want to get their stories straight this time to avoid further embarrassment.
Better to wait until Summerfest is over, too.
I wonder if Ed Flynn and the Leftist media will go out of their way to stress that race is NOT a factor in this crime.
Maybe race can be discussed in this crime since the attacker was white. No need to fear a racial emphasis dividing the community in this case.
I don't know.
Not much information on this incident--
From WTMJ:Authorities are looking into a battery and cutting along Milwaukee's lakefront.
It happened at 200 N. Harbor Drive near the Summerfest Grounds.
A 33-year-old man sufferend non-life threatening injuries.
Milwaukee Police haven't released any further details at this time.
So there's more violence in Milwaukee, battery and stabbing.
And police aren't releasing information to the public.
I suppose there could be a good reason for the lack of details, like hampering the arrest of a suspect or suspects.
I would like to know more.
The problem is after the mob rampage, the robberies and brutal beatings, following the July 3rd fireworks, and the awful police response and lame excuses from Police Chief Ed Flynn, I've lost trust in the department to provide the truth.
I'm not saying that the vast majority of Milwaukee police officers aren't performing their duties admirably, protecting the public from the bad guys.
My concern regards the truth about certain incidents being withheld from the public.
I have doubts now that weren't there before the mob attacks.
Trust is a very important thing. When it's lost, that's a problem not easily solved.
Summerfest, Day 10 - America performs at 10:00 PM on the M&I Classic Rock Stage.
Summerfest, Day 9 - At Harley-Davidson Roadhouse, 10:00 PM, it's Dropkick Murphys.
Why were there several fights in the vicinity of the Harley Stage at Summerfest on the night of July 5th?
One explanation is that venue was too small to accommodate the huge crowd there to see Wiz Khalifa.
From FOX 6 News:Summerfest crowds were large on July 5th and witnesses say several fights broke out. A FOX6 viewer caught Summerfest security breaking up one of those fights.
There was a lot of buzz leading up to Rapper Wiz Khalifa's July 5th concert. Charles Fink shoots video of the packed Summerfest crowds surrounding the Harley stage, where Khalifa's performing. He heard shouting and focused his camera on a fight quickly broken up by Summerfest security.
Director of Summerfest Security Michael Demarco says Summerfest was ready for the 100,000 plus people who flooded the festival grounds on July 5th. "We concentrated a considerable amount of resources into the Harley area. I took resources from the north end of the grounds, the south end. We took from the Amphitheater we concentrated them there and placed them strategically."
...Some people FOX6 spoke with say the rapper wasn't on a big enough stage for the crowds appearing to hear his famous "Black and Yellow" song. Security says he was booked before he became popular and they did the best they could.
No. That's no excuse for the violence.
Behaving badly, being violent, is a choice. It has nothing to do with crowd size.
Video. Here's full video of one of the fights at Summerfest on Tuesday night:It appears that security did a good job in controlling the situation, preventing the fight from escalating into a massive brawl.
It's disturbing that this was just one of "several fights" at Summerfest that night, but security was prepared.
This is why I cringe when I see small children at Summerfest late at night. It's not a good atmosphere for little ones. It's not safe. ________________
Here's video of the crowd at the Wiz Khalifa concert:
Read the comments at YouTube describing the crowd, the fights and the disorder.
More video:
Summerfest, Day 8 - G. Love & Special Sauce are at the Harley-Davidson Roadhouse, 10:00 PM.
Summerfest, Day 7 - The Black Keys perform at the Marcus Amphitheater, 7:30 PM.
Summerfest, Day 6 - Switchfoot is performing at the U.S. Cellular Connection Stage at 10:00 PM.
If you're a creature of habit, and you make it a habit to attend Summerfest on the Fourth of July, CHANGE YOUR PLANS.
Summerfest is not 11 consecutive days of music and celebration this year.
There is a break in the action, closed today, Monday, the Fourth of July.
The Big Gig will resume on Tuesday.
Summerfest, Day 5 - Blue Oyster Cult headlines tonight at 10:00 PM at the M&I Classic Rock Stage.
Summerfest, Day 4 - Jason Mraz performs at the Marcus Amphitheater.
Summerfest Day 3 - Toby Keith is at the Marcus Amphitheater.
Summerfest 2011, Day 2 - Panic! At The Disco headlines at the U.S. Cellular Connection Stage, 10:00 PM.
Summerfest begins!
Does it feel like Thursday to you?Meatloaf is the headliner at the new Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard stage, tonight at 10:00 PM.
The south gate of the Summerfest grounds has had a face lift.
With so many people struggling financially, discounts for Summerfest admission are becoming a necessity more than a bonus.
Here's information on discounts, from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wednesday, June 29: Johnson Controls Stomp out Hunger Day with Fox 6. Everyone arriving between noon and 3 p.m. who donates three nonperishable food items will receive one free admission ticket. Donations benefit Hunger Task Force.
Also on June 29: The first 5,000 patrons will receive one Uline Live from Daryl's House (Hall & Oates) Reusable Tote Bag. The giveaway starts at 5 p.m.
Thursday, June 30: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "Show Your Smile" Day. The first 4,400 patrons who present the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel coupon between noon and 3 p.m. get free admission. The coupon will be available in the Sunday, June 26 newspaper.
Friday, July 1: Miller High Life - Give a Veteran a Piece of the High Life Day. The first 2,000 patrons 21 and older who bring six Miller High Life or Miller High Life Light bottle caps get one free admission ticket.
Also on Friday, July 1: The first 5,000 patrons will receive one U.S. Cellular/Summerfest bandanna starting at 5 p.m.
Saturday, July 2: Goodwill Industries Day. The first 1,500 fest-goers who make a donation to a Goodwill Store & Donation Center between June 1 and July 2, 2011 and bring in their original donation receipt get one free admission ticket from noon until 3 p.m.
Sunday, July 3: Kohl's Family Day. The first 1,500 patrons who donate three nonperishable food items for kids get one free admission ticket. Donations benefit Hunger Task Force.
Tuesday, July 5: Sentry Foods and Dean's Milk & Ice Cream Children's Fest Day with Today's TMJ4. Everyone arriving between noon and 3 p.m. is admitted free. Select food vendors will offer discounts on food and beverage items.
Wednesday, July 6: Klement's Day. The first 1,500 patrons receive one free admission ticket in return for a Klement's product label (8 ounces or larger) and a nonperishable food item.
Also on July 6: The first 5,000 patrons will receive one Hooters/Summerfest cup koozie starting at 5 p.m.
Thursday, July 7: Northwestern Mutual "Make a Child Smile Day" from noon to 3 p.m. The first 1,500 patrons who donate any new, indoor children's toy, art supplies or children's G- or PG-rated DVD movie with a $5 minimum value gets one free admission ticket. All items will be used through the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin system and must be new with original tags attached or original packaging.
Also on July 7: H.O.G. Day from noon to 3 p.m. Present a valid Harley Owners Group card for one free admission ticket. H.O.G. members will have access to the Harley-Davidson Hospitality Deck from 4 to 9 p.m.
Also on July 7: The first 10,000 fest-goers get one coupon valid for a special offer on Brewers tickets starting at 5 p.m.
Friday, July 8: Malt-O-Meal Day from noon to 3 p.m. The first 1,500 patrons receive one free admission ticket in return for an original receipt from any Wisconsin grocer for the purchase of any two Malt-O-Meal Bag Cereals (10 ounces or larger). Receipts must be dated between June 29 and July 8, 2011.
Saturday, July 9: CBS 58 Milwaukee/MDA Day from noon to 3 p.m. The first 1,500 patrons contributing $10 or more to the Muscular Dystrophy Association get one free admission ticket.
Also on July 9: Scout Day. From noon to 3 p.m. all Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast in uniform will get one free admission ticket at the South Gate promotions booth.
Sunday, July 10: Have a NYCE Day! Everyone arriving between noon and 3 p.m. will be admitted free.
Here are Summerfest admission fees, minus the discount promotions:Gate Admission Tickets
Adults and Children over 10:
Weekday Admission Ticket $8
(valid Tuesday – Friday, prior to 4:00 pm)
General Admission Ticket $15
(valid anytime, including evenings after 4:00 pm and weekends)
Seniors (60 and over):
$3 at all times
Children (10 and under):
$3 at all times
Infants (2 and under):
FREE
$15 after 4:00 PM even on weekdays?
That's not good.
The children's prices used to be 12 and under.
An 11-year-old kid going with the family has to pay an adult admission. That's not good.
The re-entry policy isn't as loose as it used to be either.Re-entry Policy
Wristbands to leave and re-enter the festival are available at all gate areas from Noon until 6:30 pm daily. Re-entry wristbands will be valid for a single, same day re-entry until 7:00 pm. No re-entry wristbands will be issued after 6:30 pm and there are no re-entries after 7:00 pm.
Remember back when re-entry with a hand stamp was unlimited?
Good times.
