What If The Ozark Music Festival Had Never Come To Sedalia?

I wasn't even alive when it happened, but oh, the stories I've heard. People have told me things. Horror stories of traffic, drugs, hippies, litter and more.  In my uncultured and uninformed opinion, the Ozark Music Festival changed Sedalia in some ways.  It was like they took a chance on something big and exciting, and it gave everyone a bad taste in their mouths afterwards.

I think a sense of mistrust was instilled in people then.  They got skeptical about "the youth" and about their music. But really, it's not the "rock crowd" that's rowdy, it's a BIG crowd that gets rowdy. I think, and again, this is my totally unqualified opinion that nobody asked me for, it's affected the concerts at the Missouri State Fair ever since.  While I know money and schedules are a factor in who comes to sing for us, the choices that have been made seem to me to be mostly on the "safe side".  Nothing too crazy or controversial, with a few exceptions here and there (Halestorm, I'm looking at you).  It's like the festival scarred people for life.

So if the Ozark Music Festival had never happened, what would Sedalia be like? Would we be more accepting of big events like Tough Mudder? Would we have more rock and roll or would we still be pretty country? Would we have more events on the Fairgrounds?  I don't know for sure, but part of me thinks we wouldn't be as hesitant to take chances in our entertainment. Part of me thinks we wouldn't be as wary of lots of people coming in from out of town.    Maybe we'd have dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!

But then, hey, I could be completely wrong.  Maybe it the festival hadn't happened things would be the same. Maybe if the festival had been more organized or prepared for the crowds, things would be different. Like I say, I don't REALLY know, because I wasn't even a spark in my father's eyes at the time.

But here's the important part - what do you think?  Do you think Sedalia would be different if the Ozark Music Festival had never happened?

Wonderingly yours,

Behka