Organizers of the Thunder on the Mountain country music festival that was set to take place June 26-28 on Mulberry Mountain near Ozark announced Saturday that the event was canceled, according to statements from the festival's production company, Pipeline Productions.
"It is with great regret that due to circumstances beyond our control, we are unable to hold Thunder on the Mountain," Pipeline posted on social media at 2 p.m. Saturday.
The Lawrence, Kan.-based company, which also organizes the Wakarusa and Phases of the Moon festivals that take place on Mulberry Mountain, sent emails regarding refund information to ticket holders Monday. Refunds will be distributed within 90 days, according to the email sent by Pipeline.
Customers can return tickets and camping passes where they were purchased for a full refund, according to a Thunder on the Mountain Facebook post. One third-party ticket provider, Groupon, also was providing refunds, said Nicholas Halliwell, a public relations officer for the company.
Pipeline Productions posted on social media that the festival was not canceled because of sponsors.
The Arkansas Department of Health is investigating reports of wastewater dumping near the Mulberry River from the showers at Wakarusa, but Kerry Krell, public information officer for the department, could not say whether the cancellation and the investigation were related. The Wakarusa festival was held June 4-7.
The contracted wastewater disposal company, referred to as Day's Septic Tank Service in a department document, was supposed to spread the waste over a large area of land but dumped it in one spot instead, Krell said. The company has been cooperative, and workers are spreading lime, a mineral to restore the pH balance, at the location, she said.
Pipeline Productions declined to respond to requests by the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for further information.
In 2013, the inaugural Thunder on the Mountain drew thousands of fans with performances from Toby Keith, Luke Bryan and Big & Rich, but the festival was not financially successful, said director Brett Mosiman in a December 2014 interview. Organizers postponed the festival last year to "refocus energy and effort," he said.
Headliners Carrie Underwood, Zac Brown Band, The Band Perry, Eli Young Band, and Big & Rich, along with 50 other acts, were scheduled to perform at this year's Thunder on the Mountain.
Despite the cancellation, Lance Carpenter, an Ozark native who was scheduled to perform at Thunder on the Mountain, is organizing an alternative three-day music festival on Mulberry Mountain that will take place the same weekend.
Nine other artists, including Highway Run, Matt Huff, Jared Blake, Devious Angels and Rachael Turner, have committed to play at Music on the Mulberry, and the set list will continue to grow, Carpenter said. More than 100 artists, including some who were supposed to perform at the canceled festival, have inquired, he said.
Metro on 06/16/2015