GEORGE – The fewest number of concerts in recent years at the Gorge Amphitheater will likely result in a financial hit for Grant County, the city of Quincy and other surrounding communities.
After years of squabbles over managing the huge crowds that attend the rock ‘n’ roll amphitheater, local economies have come to depend on the revenues, jobs and other benefits the Gorge offers.
The Gorge will host just seven musical events over 15 days this summer. Last year, 18 different concerts took place over 22 days. Some years, as many as 24 different concerts, some multi-day, have been held.
Annual tax revenues to Grant County from Gorge ticket and camping sales are expected to be down this year from the average $535,000 contributed each of the past five years. Reported crimes and arrests are also expected to be lower than in past years.
With three big concert dates left in the summer season, total economic benefits to surrounding communities are still unknown.
The hope is that the Gorge’s recent sale by the House of Blues Entertainment Inc. to Live Nation, the largest U.S. pop concert producer, will result in a return to more concerts at the Gorge next year.
“The Gorge has gotten a bad name at times, but there’s a lot more good than bad,” said Dick Zimbelman, mayor of Quincy, the 5,500-population town 10 miles north of the amphitheater. “It never helps us when concert numbers are down. Whenever there’s a concert, Quincy benefits.”
Zimbelman said Gorge patrons spend thousands of dollars at Quincy’s grocery stores, restaurants, motels and other businesses during each concert. He said the town’s swimming pool was packed on the last weekend of July with out-of-area swimmers who wanted to cool down during a break from Creation Northwest 2006, an annual four-day Christian rock event.
At the Gorge on that Saturday, crowds were far less than the 22,000 people who had tickets for the event. The audience would swell again come dusk, said Sarah Shandl, a member of the Creation Northwest media staff. During the afternoon, many people head to the surrounding towns to swim, get lunch and supplies, she said.
One large group of teens was found in front of Akins Foods in downtown Quincy at about 1 p.m.
“We came in to buy a few things. Just the essentials. I’m getting a toothbrush,” said Makaela DuPree, 16, of Anchorage, Alaska. She was among 17 members of her church youth group who flew from Anchorage to Seattle and then drove to The Gorge to attend the concert. All came into town to shop and eat.
Eric Almquist, Akins store manager, said business always picks up when a concert is going on.
“Wait until 2 or 3 p.m. and this place will really be busy,” he said.
Bill Parsons, Gorge manager, said this summer’s lineup of fewer concerts has drawn larger crowds at each event. There’s also been more multi-day concerts that result in more concertgoers staying longer in the area and often spending more money.
“The impact on our community has been huge,” said Lisa Karstetter, Quincy Chamber of Commerce executive director and a member of the Grant County Tourism Commission. Karstetter also works at the Gorge as a supervisor overseeing concession stands run by school and nonprofit groups. Many of those groups come from Quincy.
Karstetter said if tax revenues and other benefits from the Gorge turn out to be down this year, it has been a good year for it to happen. Microsoft is building a facility in Quincy that will house computer servers.
“It happened at a good time,” she said. “We’re hoping that everything works out for this sale and the number of concerts will increase. But we would rather have some concerts than none at all.”
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