Bonnaroo's hot in every wayMANCHESTER, Tenn. - Death has unfortunately come to the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. A 22-year-old Kentucky man was killed around 1 a.m. Saturday trying to run across Interstate 24 near the festival. He ran into traffic and was hit by an oncoming car after bouncing off the side of a tractor-trailer, authorities said.
The man was wearing a Bonnaroo T-shirt and admission wristband, which was used to identify him.
Deaths are not unheard of at the annual event, where people come to camp out and party for four days in usually hot and humid weather. Authorities said deaths also occurred in 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011.
Officials said this man had alcohol and drugs in his system.
Inside the festival, Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves said things have been relatively calm so far, despite intense heat.
"We've been very lucky with this heat," he said. "We just checked with the medical people and they are handling things."
Many fans spent the early part of the day deciding if things would be hotter in their camp area or out where the music was being played by acts like Grace Potter, Beach Fossils, The Claypool Lennon Delirium and Anderson East. People attending Bonnaroo are dedicated to the music and the musicians appreciate and feed off it, said Nickel Creek co-founder Sara Watkins.
"It's a commitment," she said. "Everyone is sweating it out together. It's not easy to be here."
She will be performing with her band today and will appear tonight as part of the Bluegrass Situation Superjam with Ed Helms and Friends. She formed Nickel Creek along with her brother, Sean, and Chris Thile. During a long Nickel Creek hiatus, Watkins played fiddle and other instruments with dozens of other artists, including being a touring member of the Decemberists for seven months, and recorded several solo albums.
She said she likes the collaborative part of working with different artists, and the challenges that come with figuring out what to play for each.
Bonnaroo prides itself on being an eco-friendly event and one of its more successful programs has been the Food Recovery Sustainability Program, which is facilitated through the Grundy County Food Bank. Last year, more than 29,000 pounds of food was recovered and redistributed to people in Grundy County.
Recipients include residents at senior centers, low-income families and inmates at the Grundy County Jail.
Judy and David Conover run the program with the help of Laura Sohn, director of sustainability for the festival.
"We drive around on Monday picking up unused or unsold food that the vendors have left over," Judy Conover said.
Sohn said the program has grown in volume and participation since it started in 2011. More than 6,000 pounds of food were recovered that first year.
"It's an important program because it recovers food that might be wasted, but more importantly it helps feed people," she said.
The festival will end sometime around midnight. Headlining are The Dead and Company with John Mayer. Also performing will be Kurt Vile, Jason Isbell, Cymande, Lettuce and Death Cab For Cutie.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.