Picktown Palooza: Three days of rock rolled out record crowds

Nostalgia and heavy guitar riffs proved a winning formula for this year's Picktown Palooza, which organizers said reached new attendance heights.

By circumstance, it just worked out that 2022 was a "rock year," said Chris Stein, president of the nonprofit Panger Productions that puts on the Picktown Palooza.

Stein said because of scheduling he was not able to secure pop and country music acts for the event, which was July 14-16.

Therefore, after booking the Sonic Slam Tour 2022 – featuring Cinderella's Tom Keifer Band, L.A. Guns and Faster Pussycat – as well as Marty Hayes and the Gypsy Kyngs, Stein decided all three nights would feature 1980s and '90s glam rock.

Apparently tripling down worked.

"According to the preliminary numbers, over the course of the three days, we had upwards of 30,000 attendees," Stein said. "It was big.

"Our food vendors said they were slammed all three days. Same thing for our beer garden. Every aspect of the event went way up."

Stein said attendance ranged from 15,000 to 18,000 for the first four events, adding he thinks the music was the primary reason for the increase.

In addition to the Sonic Slam Tour 2022 performance July 16, the festival featured Grand Designs: Rush Tribute Project, BulletBoys and Winger on July 14 and Artifax, Pettibone and Stephen Pearcy of RATT on July 15.

"When we've done rock, country and pop, our biggest night was always rock," Stein said. "The Sonic Slam Tour was hugely popular to begin with, and when you couple that with free parking and $5 to get in, we got what we got."

Stein said the event continued to draw people from neighboring states, and he said he spoke with attendees from Illinois, New York and Tennessee, among other states.

"The farthest anyone told me they came was from Wyoming," he said. "I asked if they had family here and they said ... they were coming for the entertainment and the costs.

"It was crazy, crazy awesome, really."

A number of people who attended the festival July 14 said music lured them, including Mark McCain of Columbus, who was a first time visitor.

"I saw that there was a Rush cover band," McCain said. "I'm a big Rush fan. I've seen them 21 times over the years, and I never saw a Rush cover band."

Glenn and Karen Peppers of Pickerington also were first-timers eager to see Grand Designs: Rush Tribute Project.

Before the show, however, they spent time watching their 3-year-old grandson, Luke Peppers, enjoy rides like a merry-go-round featuring motorcycles and dune buggies.

"We wanted to give him a little exposure to all these rides," Glenn Peppers said. "He loves motorcycles and he likes cars, too.

"We're going to get dinner here and listen to the (Rush tribute) band. We'll probably watch from afar."

A representative of the younger generation, 13-year-old Zion Breaston of Pickerington  said he was drawn to the Palooza for the first time primarily to gather with friends.

"I heard all my friends were going," Breaston said. "I'll probably ride some rides, eat some food and just, like, chill and see everybody that's coming."

When asked what food he was most looking forward to trying, Breaston replied, "Pizza."

Along with the music, food and rides, Stein believes organizers hit sweet spots for everything from location to accommodations.

After being staged in Olde Pickerington Village from 2017-19 and being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the festival moved to Pickerington High School Central last year.

This year, organizers opened a second parking lot at Central, and Stein said the site has served the Palooza well in large part because it offers sidewalks and a relatively short stroll from vehicles to the festivities.

Stein said a vendor that sold only non-alcohol drinks was added so attendees wouldn't need to wait in food vendor lines to get a soda or water.

He also said the number of portable toilets available was more than doubled from previous years.

City officials said they were pleased with the success and management of the festival.

"Except for some rain late Friday, the weather was fantastic, the logistics were well planned and coordinated and several thousand people attended," City Manager Greg Butcher said. "We are pleased to assist with the event, along with the Pickerington School District and other agencies and organizations.

"The event is an opportunity for residents to experience a well-planned, clean and organized festival/community event sponsored by a non-profit who gives back to the community. It brings visitors to the city of Pickerington to experience and places a spotlight on our town."

Additionally, Pickerington police officials said there were no significant security issues.

"There was only one incident involving two juveniles that involved an altercation between them and some social-media messaging," Chief Tod Cheney said. "The incident was the only one of the three days and did lead to charges against the juveniles.

"Overall, the crowd was very well-behaved throughout the entire event."

nellis@thisweeknews.com

@ThisWeekNate

This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Picktown Palooza: Three days of rock rolled out record crowds