July 19, 2008 7:07 PM

Mile High Music Fest - too much going on

Sure, the music here is great (and the sound systems are really stellar), but there's so much going on here you can't possibly see it all. Between acts we've been checking with police (lots of people passed out due to heat and alcohol, a parking snafu at 3:30 that delayed crowds getting in) but everything seems under control.

The food booths are amazing -- some of the usual suspects but a lot of local restaurants participating, so you get food a bit out of the ordinary for this sort of event. The art exhibits are fascinating, from 30-foot-tall custom bamboo sculptures to a meditation circle made of cardboard. The Rocky's David Accomazzo is here with me today, and had this info about the cardboard sculpture:

San Francisco-based artist Joe Mangrum specializes in so-called "green" art, and he created an installation for the Mile High Music Festival out of cardboard he found outside a nearby factory.



"It's sort of a sacred meditation circle/chill space/art piece," the 39-year-old said. He built a star out of cardboard and built in triangular hatches for people to beat the heat. Inside the star is a colorful collage of sand, corn on- and off- the cob, flowers, and rocks among other materials.
Curious festival-goers gazed on Mangrum's creation.
"It makes you think how wasteful we are," said Jeff Evans, 20.
"Look how sturdy this is," Traci Hosler, 18, said as she stomped on on the cardboard steps. "We could live off this."
Sustainable living is one of the themes of the eco-friendly Mile High Festival. In lieu of trash cans, there are three-tiered stations with compost, recycling, and regular trash cans manned by a volunteer who fields questions.

Posted by Mark Brown at 7:07 PM | Comments (2)