In what they call an effort to allow more local families to attend next week's James Dean Fest,
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DISCOUNTED TICKETS
Tickets to the James Dean Fest, running June 3-5 at the Marion Municipal Airport, have been discounted for Grant County residents and seniors. Minus any discounts, three-day passes are $45 in advance and $55 at the gate. Single-day passes are $20 and $25 at the gate. Indiana students with valid IDs receive $5 off the ticket price.
Now, any Grant County family that purchases single or three-day passes to the event will receive two free tickets for children under 18. Senior citizens qualify for a 50-percent discount.
The offers are available up to and during the festival weekend to those who purchase tickets at the local event headquarters, 502 S. Washington St. |
organizers of the event are offering discounted tickets to Grant County residents.
Any Grant County family that purchases single or three-day passes to the event, which runs June 3 through 5 at the Marion Municipal Airport, will receive two free tickets for children under 18. Senior citizens qualify for a 50-percent discount. The offers are available up to and during the festival weekend to those who purchase tickets at the local event headquarters, 502 S. Washington St.
"The mayor has been pushing quite a bit to get a lot of vendors and people working from the county," festival producer Israel Baron said. "And he wanted to make sure everyone benefits in the city. We're doing it in the city, shouldn't everyone benefit?"
The James Dean Fest is being advertised as a once-in-a-lifetime event, and officials wanted to give those who might not be able to afford the full ticket price a chance to take part, Marion Mayor Wayne Seybold said.
"Our unemployment rate is high and that's going to change within the next year, but it's not going to change by June 2," he said.
Minus any discounts, three-day passes are $45 in advance and $55 at the gate. Single-day passes are $20 and $25 at the gate. Indiana students with valid IDs receive $5 off the ticket price.
"People just have to make the choice to go to this event," Seybold continued. "People tell me we need to have more events like they have in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, and this is something Indianapolis and Fort Wayne are never going to get. This is kind of a history-making event. We have gotten worldwide attention."
Organizers are spending more than $1 million on the James Dean Fest, which will include classic rock concerts, car and motorcycle shows, appearances by famous admirers and co-stars of Dean, screenings of the actor's three movies and the premiere of a new documentary.
Ticket sales are a major source of revenue for the event, and Baron said he is confident that organizers will recoup their costs. He said the discount for residents comes because of their role in the event.
"The citizens of Grant County have played an important part in maintaining the enduring legacy that James Dean left behind," he said.
Beginning early next week, crews will begin set up at the airport. That includes erecting the 100-foot wide outdoor digital screen where the movies will be shown, working with about 70 different vendors and making sure the staging needs of six different bands are met.
"This is the time you really have to do your due diligence," Seybold said. "It's going to be hectic between now and the end of the show."
Although event organizers had initially requested to the Federal Aviation Administration that the Marion airport be closed during the event, they now expect the site to be open to air traffic - including visitors who want to fly their planes to the James Dean Fest.
Organizers are currently working with the FAA to take the proper safety precautions to accommodate the crowd and visitors and performers who plan to fly into and out of the event, Seybold said.
"It's no different than the Fly-In Cruise-In," he said, referring to the annual air and car show held at the airport.
