Who would guess grown people could be so excited about flushable toilets?
But those and the permanent showers that have been installed on the site of the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn., since last year's event were the talk of a media walk-through Wednesday.
Veterans of the 15-year-old event, the folks accustomed to the nuances of portable potties and showers, understand the significance of the new facilities, but they represent even more to people such as Coffee County Mayor Gary Cordell.
"It means [festival organizers] plan on staying here," he said. "Adding the water infrastructure is amazing."
Jeff Cuellar, vice president of strategic operations at AC Entertainment and co-founder of the festival, said organizers have been focused on the future ever since the event began in 2002. This year's festival begins today and runs through Sunday.
"I feel great about our 15th year, and I feel even better about the next 15 years," he said.
Cuellar declined to comment about rumors that ticket sales were down this year, but said, "There are always ebbs and flows. There is a lot of competition out there, even in our part of the country, but nobody offers what we offer in regard to music, food, comedy, the community and the infrastructure."
Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves said Wednesday afternoon that he had been told to expect a smaller crowd this year.
"We are ready for whatever comes," he said.
Since buying most of the land on which the festival takes place in 2007, organizers have been making significant improvements to the grounds, including adding roads and planting trees and grass better suited to withstanding the 85,000 people expected every year.
"This is not about one and done," Cuellar said. "This is just Phase 1 and many phases."
This year, water lines were added, leading to the building of the bathrooms, showers and drinking water. More will be added later. Planners also added new accommodations for campers, especially the VIP experience. Not everyone sleeps in a tent, and Cuellar said organizers are constantly looking at ways to accommodate everybody.
This year, they've added cabanas, souvenir tents, and more RV camping options for people willing to pay extra for creature comforts like better access to the main Centeroo area, better bathrooms and showers and catering.
Cuellar emphasized the infrastructure work is not just about Bonnaroo. The property actually is called Great Stage Park, and the plan is to hold other music events throughout the year. Cordell said that is even more good news for Coffee County and Manchester.
Since its debut, Bonnaroo has pumped millions into the local economy, and Cordell said the county views it as it does every other business partner. He said yearly revenue from a $3 tax on each ticket sold represents almost $1 million a year.
"I have a lot of respect for Bonnaroo," Cordell said.
He said the festival does more than just bring in revenue from festivalgoers. Earlier in the year, he said, he reached out to festival officials to see if they would be interested in helping fund new laptops for county elementary school students.
"They picked up the full $45,000," he said. "That was money taxpayers didn't have to pay."
Contact staff writer Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.