Loud music went on way too long

Published 3:20 pm Thursday, August 21, 2008

As a musician and presenter, I’d love to put on a festival sometime.

I hope that when I do, I have more respect for my neighbors than the “Freedom Fest” people at Stocker Farms. The show, just south of the Snohomish River, ended around 11 p.m. Sunday and the sound was loud enough for me to clearly hear the music and the rap “sermon” from about a mile away.

I love good rock and roll — loud even — and the band seemed pretty tight, but I could hear it clearly almost a mile away, inside my house.

Those kinds of sound levels are extremely bad for the human ear — exposure for more than a few minutes can cause permanent hearing loss. I’m quite sure it exceeded the sound levels allowed in the Snohomish County code, as well as going almost an hour past the 10 p.m. cut-off time.

I love music. I love festivals. But c’mon, “reverend” — the neighbors shouldn’t have to choose between closing our windows or hearing a rock and roll sermon from a mile away on a warm August night. Being so loud, you make it harder for the rest of us who play by the rules.

I don’t know if the Freedom Fest promoters got a conditional use permit or not, but I urge the county to take this year’s sound levels into account if they ask for one next year. Being Christian doesn’t mean you get to be a nuisance or ignore the law.

Christopher Bingham