Wakestock

Wakestock is officialy canceled at wasaga beach

Surf's out for Wakestock
Wasaga Beach sinks summer fest
Opponents call it a drunken mess


SAN GREWAL
STAFF REPORTER

WASAGA BEACH—This resort town banned Wakestock last night, blaming the international wakeboarding festival for turning it into a drunken mess.

Council members decided to pull the plug on the four-day August event that attracts more than 40,000 visitors to this town of 14,000 along the shores of Georgian Bay after it produced 739 criminal charges last summer.

'I live right down on the beach — my street is filled with cars with kids sleeping in them on the weekend of Wakestock and it's disgusting,' said resident Shawn Allan. 'But it's partially the town's fault because they haven't built new hotels, they close the public washrooms down at 9:30 and they don't police the weekends properly.'

Supporters had hoped to save the event after an initial 4-3 council vote last week to ban Wakestock, the most popular of five world series stops for this burgeoning sport that combines surfing, water-skiing and skateboarding and pumps an estimated $6 million into the local economy.

But opponents argued successfully the event had brought vandalism and public urination to the town, turned parking lots turned into garbage dumps and transformed streets into makeshift youth shelters.

The event's organizer, Todd Elsley, said he was disappointed.

'We were going to do an off-site venue with shuttle buses, washrooms, all amenities and entertainment and keep people there,' the 31-year-old resident of Wasaga Beach said. Elsley said organizers had proposed three alternate locations with film premieres, extreme sports and concerts where large crowds could be contained.

'We've made many proposals to save Wakestock but the town council is just not listening.'

Wasaga Beach Mayor Cal Patterson defended the vote and denied having heard about Elsley's proposals. 'The vote was to defeat Wakestock but we will do everything in our power to replace it,' he said. 'I want to be on record: This council is in support of tourism.'

Local business owners, however, were dismayed at the prospect of a summer without the dollars Wakestock brings. Jason Ruttan, who owns a local wakeboarding school, said Elsley's proposals to clean up the festival should have been given greater consideration.

Last year, the local OPP detachment responded to 390 calls during the event and laid 739 charges.

One resident said that while the area has always been a magnet for young partiers, Wakestock had exploded into all-out debauchery. 'The kids who come up for Wakestock from Toronto, Michigan, New York, Ohio, everywhere just don't respect the place,' said Tom Brady. 'Every year they come up and urinate all over the streets, they tear shingles off of roofs, they turn the Tim Horton's parking lot into a garbage dump and they lay passed out in cars or along the streets.'

But Councillor Ron Anderson, who voted to save Wakestock, said he believes it was the best-run festival held at Wasaga Beach. And Allan, 21, said the town is losing one of the area's biggest attractions. 'They're trying to turn Wasaga Beach into a retirement town.'