PHISH COVENTRY PRESS ARCHIVE Phish Fans Are Here August 12, 2004 - Calendonian Record By Robin Smith As darkness fell on the soft warm evening Wednesday, campfires lit up on the roadside all along the official Phish fest route. The fans are here. The first troops had pulled off Airport Road and Route 5 to spend the night in anticipation of the gates to the Coventry Phish festival opening today. State police called the first fans a mellow group. Lt. George Hacking, meeting with a few Coventry residents at the Coventry Community Center Wednesday evening, said 4,000 to 5,000 could arrive overnight and find spots to park before lining up in the morning. Gates open at noon. The fans will camp for two days until the concert begins Saturday morning for two days. The fans were sitting in camp chairs around small fires or hibachis, cooking dinner and enjoying their fellowship. A group of young men on Airport Road were particularly excited to be in Coventry at last. With grins and laughs, they told how long each had taken to get here, most driving straight through. Nathan Peeks and Jason Hauser hail from Birmingham, Ala., and wanted Vermonters to know how lovely the area is. They weren't much different than locals, quite excited to get their pictures in the paper, and hoping their friends and family back home will be able to check it out online. They hoped they would be allowed into the site earlier than the mid-day opening. The Phish fans are parked completely off the road, one of the rules state police are being strict about. Hacking said fans were policing themselves, to keep the interference with traffic to a minimum. Although there were a large number of vehicles on official fest business in and out of the airport site, as twilight fell, it was clear most of the traffic was local. Out cruising, was how one local described it. Many have been out along Airport Road every evening to check out the burgeoning city of signs, tents, trailers, roads and people growing in a cornfield. The warm weather Wednesday, and the realization that the real traffic beginning today will put an end to cruising, probably spurred a last-minute rush of local passers-by. A little gathering of local vendors at the intersection of Airport Road and Route 5 has attracted some business already. Todd Alix, a Jay business owner, designed T-shirts around the Phish theme, and has them for sale. Alix said that 80 percent of the T-shirts he has already sold were bought by locals souvenir hunting. He isn't the only local resident looking to capitalize on the fan influx. All along the route off I-91, local businesses and people who just happen to live on the concert access route have hung out their signs, welcoming the fans and offering many wares and food. Business has picked up significantly in some areas. Orleans was quite busy, and downtown Newport City had plenty of traffic, although it wasn't clear if it was local sightseers or visitors. Michael Marcotte, selectman in Coventry, was still trying to decide if he should keep his Newport City mini-mart, Jimmy Quik, open all night tonight or not. Coventry Still Quiet Downtown Coventry, with its tiny village green and few streets, was quiet again Wednesday. Only a handful of people gathered for the first of what will be nightly meetings with Lt. George Hacking of the Vermont State Police. Meetings continue at 7 p.m. in the Community Center tonight through Sunday. The easy problem resolved Wednesday was what to do with the Channel 5 WPTZ camper and vehicle. The crew had thought it had permission to park overnight in the Coventry School parking lot, but the school board had said no to all. In the end, the crew was given one night, and asked to block off the access to the school with a spare Jeep. The tougher problem still being worked out was how residents living on roads around the site - who were promised free tickets - will get the tickets and get into the site. Some thought they would have to get in the traffic lineup like everyone else. Hacking said that made no sense, and was working on fixing that problem, so locals could have easier access to make up for closed roads. Media Circus Begins Video crews hired by Phish have begun filming around the area. The band expects to create several movies, including one suitable for an IMAX cinema. One will feature interviews with local residents. Expect those DVDs and videos to come out sometime this winter. Closures Begin Today Roads around the site will be closed to all traffic beginning at 6 a.m. today. Locals were issued decals to display. Some other nearby roads are limited to local traffic. Everyone who does not have to drive near the site, or on Route 5 from Coventry Street in Newport City to the Interstate 91 exit in Orleans, is being encouraged to stay away. Route 5 will be open southbound to all traffic today and Friday, despite lineups in the northbound lane. Then on Monday, the northbound lane will remain open while traffic streams south. Other routes expected to be tied up are 100 and 14 for those fans coming in from Burlington and its airport. Article Copyright © Calendonian Record