Friends of the Festival Talent and Production Coordinator Joe “Dixie” Fuller found himself in front of the controls of a forklift. Fuller had spent the previous three weeks overseeing construction and operation of the five stages at Riverbend, and on Monday, he was overseeing their dismantling.
He was barking orders to his crew members, who were busy breaking down the remaining staging and infrastructure still standing from the 2016 festival that ended Saturday night. Riverfront Parkway reopened Monday.
Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 6/20/16. Kevin Ray, left, and Kelvin Blackmon clean up a riverfront parking lot on Monday, June 20, 2016, from the past week’s Riverbend Music Festival. 
Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 6/20/16. Cleanup continues on Monday, June 20, 2016, from the past week’s Riverbend Music Festival. The music wrapped up Saturday night with a performance by 38 Special after performances by almost 90 acts. Looking back over the nine-day event, Fuller was happy with the way things went.
“We had a great festival,” he said. “My biggest thing that I wish had been different is I wish the Umphrey’s McGee crowd had been bigger,” he said of the popular progressive rock/jam band. “They were great. People missed a really good concert.”
Riverbend Executive Director Chip Baker echoed Fuller’s thoughts on the festival. The biggest trouble spot came Wednesday, when a storm blew through around 7:30 p.m., bringing with it high winds and heavy rains.