Hershey Spectaculat cancelled

[Jeff Ream]

http://www.fivestarbrass.com/ths_htm/inths00.htm

2005 Hershey Spectacular CANCELEDIt is with deep sadness that we announce the cancellation of the 2005 Hershey Spectacular.

Last month the Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Co (HERCO), who are the owners of Hersheypark Stadium, decided to produce a pop-concert (Destiny’s Child) on the evening of August 7th. Hersheypark Management took this action with full knowledge that the Hershey Spectacular was also booked for that night. This step by HERCO prompted us to initiate immediate legal action. Even though a court has since determined that a preliminary injunction would not be ordered, HERCO eventually decided to move the pop-concert to the Giant Center arena and once again allow the Hershey Spectacular to have the August 7th date back, subject to execution of a signed contract. Ultimately a contract was presented and after much negotiation and consideration, agreement on the terms could not be reached. Several key items of the contract were of issue, most notably was an estimated price increase in excess of 110%.

Due to yet unresolved contract issues, other risk factors, and a dwindling number of days left to complete show preparation have regrettably left us with no other choice, but to cancel this years Hershey Spectacular.

Drum and bugle corps has been presented at the Hersheypark Stadium for more than 60 years. We at Five Star Brass Productions have been staging this event for the past 20 years. It has been a labor of love and through your loyalty the Hershey Spectacular has grown to be one of the finest drum and bugle corps competitions in the country.

Everyone who purchased tickets will receive a full refund. Information on how to obtain your refund will be mailed to all current ticket holders within the next two weeks. This information will also be available on our website.

From all of us here at Five Star Brass Productions, please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this situation may have created and also accept our heart felt “Thank You” for your past support.

if you wish to send a complaint in please contact the following:

list of contacts begins:

Info@HersheyPA.com

Harrisburg Patriot News: editpage@patriot-news.com

Melissa Bird

Public Relations Coordinator

717-534-8945

mbird@hersheypa.com

Hershey Trust:

http://www.hersheytrust.com/contact.shtml

also Robert Vowler, president of the Hershey Trust:

Contact Robert Vowler at: 717-520-1133

you can contact the Harrisburg Patriot News at editpage@patriot-news.com

[Jeff Ream]

ok thats the official stuff, here's my personal thoughts:

HERCO was ###### off Five STar sued and jacked the prices up and refused to negotiate.

here's what those ######## don't realize:

they will lose $20-30,000 in parking revenue that night.

They will lose $10-20,000 in concessions that night.

They will lose added revenue with tie ins for people going to other HERCO properties such as HersheyPark and the hotels the company owns.

The community will lose the tax that was on every ticket sold, plus all the revenue driven from people staying at non Herco hotels, eating at area restaurants, etc.

Hershey, to settle a grudge just ####ed themselves out of recouping their legal fees in ancillary revenue.

and, IMO, this effectively kills drum corps at Hershey ever again...after 60 years.

HERCO, you reap what you sow. you are so lucky the local paper didnt put in their stories about how you broke your own contracts. Don't worry, I will put it in the paper for you.

[TheMoonlightChef]

:(

Bad news. What a shame.

[boneman2000]

Wow...what a shame. I enjoyed Hershey a lot last year and I was looking forward to going back again this year. I'd like to see if HERCO has a response to all of this.

[Jeff Ream]

i doubt it. they havent said anything publically to date just yada yada thru their attorneys

[mellonick]

i doubt it. they havent said anything publically to date just yada yada thru their attorneys

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

this is %^&$in weak...

[Jeff Ream]

write em and complain.

i beg you..even if you werent going. write HERCO and complain

[newbride91303]

For what it's worth, here's a copy of an e-mail I sent to Herco and the Patriot News editor:

Dear Herco:

SHAME ON YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You had an opportunity to rise above the reputation you had been earning as being money hungry and instead of doing what was right, and honoring the verbal agreement with Five Star Brass, Inc. to hold this year's addition of the Hershey Spectacular, you wrote a contract in such a way that it would be impossible to hold the show. I suppose honesty, decency and integrity mean nothing to you. Do you have any idea of how many people love this show and are deeply saddened to see it's demise? Do you have any idea of how much money drum corp fanatics from all over the globe pour into the Hershey area just to see this show? Not only do you have tickets and concessions for the show, but you have parking, park admission because many people attending the show take their families to the park during the day, hotel revenue, and restaurant revenue. Not only are you affecting the Hershey area but you are also hitting the pocketbooks of the corps who would have been at the show. For many local fans, not only was this is their only opportunity to see what had been one of the finest drum corps shows of the season, but it was their only opportunity to purchase souvenirs from their favorite corps. Do you know that these corps run on a shoe string budget and rely on souvenir purchases for part of their operating expenses? Again, the only thing I can say is SHAME ON YOU!!!!!!! I hope you, collectively, can sleep at night.

Never ever ever returning to Hershey again -

Tracy Mayer

Ellicott City, MD

[drumzx]

CRAP! <**>

[Jeff Ream]

bravo! i am calming down before i send mind