Shawn is partially right, and he is pitching in, but rather than shelve the festival, tweak it a bit.

While some of the stages were busy, some stages were not busy at all, and the streets were not packed as they have been. On The Waterfront was established to help non-profits. The costs of having a booth at OTW have driven many non-profits out, and it doesn’t help having commercial companies like McDonalds giving away drinks for free.

This year I think the threat of rain, even though we saw just a sprinkle, kept some folks away. Plus, some people just don’t have the disposable income like they used to.

I did hear from one out-of-towner that complained that at-the-door prices were too high. (They brought a family of five.) I wonder if there’s a way to offer pre-event pricing to out of town visitors, possibly with the display of their driver’s license. Get the folks in the door and then let them spend money.

What might be happening is that people are coming to see the bigger acts, like Billy Currington, but not visiting much else at the festival. That would be consistent with the segmentation of our society in general, with specialized radio and television stations, customized Internet sites, and the like. Not sure how to address that.

That all said, some of my friends loved the acts this year, and some feel like Shawn.

My favorite artist this year was Emily Hurd. I didn’t know she was going to be there but when I heard her, I just had to listen. She’s great.

This was my second On the Waterfront and while I don’t go back in Rockford history to when people listened to music on 8-Tracks, I do know a bit about music festivals. What On the Waterfront needs is less infighting among city leaders and more support for an ineffective mayor. Rockford is on an upswing, but the childish behavior of some continues to drag the city and the festival back down.

If On the Waterfront was not a first-rate event, would the State of Texas return year-after-year? Would artists like Billy Currington be here on a Labor Day weekend after a summer long tour? Would 80+ year old Leon Russell be here?

Let’s bury your petty nit-picking and all work together to support an event that provides to over 130 organizations that help make Rockford livable. Start pitching in, this is your city too.