To the editor:
Not everyone has the same taste in music or welcomes the Wakarusa music festival. Since the inception of the festival three years ago, I have endured music so loud that I am unable to go outside my home, and inside, I must have a TV or radio on, which only partially blocks the din. I am unable to fall asleep until the music has ended. (The festival was given permission by the state of Kansas to play until 5:30 in the morning.)
If a sorority or fraternity had a party with music so loud that it impacted the entire west side of the city and to areas beyond, they would be fined for disturbing the peace and quiet of their neighbors. Why the difference in the way the law is applied? A festival should not "buy" the surrounding quiet and peace at others expense.
In February, I contacted the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and was told this year the speakers would be directed in such a fashion that it would impact the surrounding area to a lesser degree. Sadly, the opposite has happened and the music was louder than before.
Calls to Clinton State Park were futile. No one answered and their recording device stated "memory full."
Perhaps the festival can be moved to an area where it impacts fewer people. If it was located in a "bowl" and the speakers were directed downward, then the rest of us would not have to endure someone else's musical tastes.