Though Secret Service Entertainment no longer, supposedly, was running Fourth Fest, I still felt like I was entering a
maximum-security prison this year at Bayfront Festival Park.
I watched people have their purses emptied and kids' strollers searched for dangerous items such as a healthy lunch and a possible deadly bottle of water.
I feel the DECC is pushing vendors' food and drinks on everyone in an all-out effort to fill pockets while we the common citizens suffer. I purchased Caribou Coffee for my family.
We had time to have roughly a quarter of our drinks before trying to enter Bayfront. The gentleman pushed me back and said, "Hey, hey, hey, no sneaking in those drinks; we can't have that." I said to my wife and kids we would wait outside the gates and finish them. He informed me we couldn't have them anywhere near the park and that we would have to be across the street to keep them. I questioned him, and he informed me that's just what his boss told him. He said if I didn't comply, my family and I would be escorted off the premises and not welcomed back.
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I was not aware this behavior was legal in the United States of America. I was rather disgusted. I call on the city to open up this great park to the citizens. Give us the option of bringing healthy food rather than the greasy food the vendors provide. Bring back that feeling of good ol' Independence Day. It is getting worse year after year, and I am becoming less proud of our Fourth of July celebration.
Phil Franke
Duluth
