SnowGlobe’s return to S. Tahoe not definite

By Kathryn Reed

Between the producer of SnowGlobe wanting to be paid and the use of the field being a question mark, the New Year’s Eve music festival may not come back to South Lake Tahoe for a third year.

“The taxpayers voted to provide funds to construct a community play field and therefore the first concern is to ensure the taxpayers receive what they paid for. If the field can be protected in such a way as to ensure its playability and also be utilized for this and other events, that could be a win-win,” City Manger Nancy Kerry told Lake Tahoe News. “City staff has been exploring options to achieve both goals and believe the best solution would be to cover the field with rubber field mats, but the costs are significant.”

That is an expense the producer does not want to incur.

While the city could purchase the mats – they cost six figures, the installation and tear down would be passed on to whatever entities were to use them.

SnowGlobe music fest may not threepeat in South Tahoe. Photo/LTN file

Chad Donnelly, producer of the three-day event, did not return phone calls.

Talks are still ongoing, but not as optimistically as they were earlier this year, sources have told Lake Tahoe News.

The event is said to be an economic boon for the region. It brings in people who would not otherwise have been in town and is an older crowd than those milling about Stateline on New Year’s Eve.

The city is also talking with Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority and the business community to see if they have the money Donnelly desires and if another location could be secured.

There was talk Donnelly was being wooed by North Shore entities. Andy Chapman with North Lake Tahoe Resort Association did not return a phone call.

As for LTVA, Executive Director Carol Chaplin said, “We’re not trying to keep it, we are trying to understand what the issues on all sides are, the challenges and the opportunities to make sure that if and when it happens, or not, that all of our constituents understand why and agree that it has been thoroughly vetted.”

LTCC’s board has already committed to being a partner with SnowGlobe if it were to return to the ball fields adjacent to the college.

“The college stands ready to support the local community. If SnowGlobe is an event our community finds as viable and a desired event, the college will be a partner in providing a safe and responsible event that benefits the businesses and community of South Tahoe,” LTCC President Kindred Murillo told Lake Tahoe News.