300 N. Thomas Street – Athens, GA 30601 – 706.208.0900 – FAX 706.548.0870
April 25, 2005
Dear
Owen:
Thank
you for your patronage the last several years in choosing to bring your
beer
festival, Brewfest, to The Classic Center. The event has no doubt grown
in
popularity and in lore in and around the Athens regional beer drinking
community. Attendance to the event and ticket sales have reached an all
time
interest as evident by this year's "sell out" several days before the
event date.
In
choosing to put on the festival we realize that each year you attempt
to make
the event a little better and struggle with ways to improve upon your
formula
to make the occasion as safe, fun, and enjoyable as possible. We value
the
spirit and approach to which you strive to handle this event and
believe your
motives and intentions are of the best. We too over the past 12 months
especially have pondered this event and have had many discussions
and
deliberations concerning our future involvement with the festival. Such
discussions
began at the completion of the 2004 festival and have been ongoing.
With the 2005
event now just completed, we have also had time to evaluate it again
within the
overall context of both past and present experience.
Specifically,
of major concern to us are the areas that are very difficult for anyone
to
control or alter. These concerns include the swelling popularity of the
event,
the increasingly poor behavior of certain Brewfest patrons, the
inability to
affectively control who is driving after the event and the associated
liability, and the Brewfest patrons mixing with our many other pieces
of
business within and around the facility. Therefore, our findings have
shown it
is in the best interest of The Classic Center, it's employees, it's
guests, and
the surrounding community to no longer serve as the host site for the
Brewfest
going forward. As the Festival has just ended for 2005, we wanted to
provide
you as much time as possible to potentially find an alternate location
for
2006. Please understand this decision was not one made in haste or
with any
personal agenda, but rather a careful decision made out of our sense of
responsibility to the community.
We
wish you continued best of luck and value the relationship we have
formed over
the years. If we personally, or The Classic Center, can be of any help
to you
going forward should you host the event elsewhere next year, please
call on us.
Thank
you again,
Paul
Cramer
Philip
Verrastro
Executive
Director
Assistant
Executive Director