Harrisburg Rock Festival (May 22, 1976) 

By Emily R. Pettet 

Welcome to the Spring Rock Festival of 1976, the event you’ve attended for the last five years straight without ever fearing boredom. Somehow it didn’t rain this year, and the perfect weather invited attendees to come as they were, whatever that entailed. Regardless of the various state of dress, or undress depending on a person’s preferences, you could expect to spend another great day in the sun. As frisbees and footballs flew through the air, you knew there was no better way to spend a spring day.*

This time, perhaps in an attempt to deter the types of individuals that threatened last year’s concert, the potential presence of plainclothes police officers was mentioned in the school paper. The Dean of student affairs at the time, Dr. Jerry South, specifically stated that the local Police Department is not required to inform the University if they do decide to send in officers, but that there is a possibility they would be there. Even if they were, the article following the Festival had nothing but good things to say about this year’s festivities and ended on quite a high note.

When it comes to high notes, a particular member of campus security, Chief Paul, was mentioned as one of the highlights of the day in his full regalia. With his riot helmet and shades, he sat atop his motorcycle to watch the day’s proceedings. This certainly wasn’t the first time Chief Paul was in the school’s paper, but it was the first time he was mentioned in regard to the Harrisburg Rock Festival. It even sparked a short tradition of sorts, where the subsequent articles discussing the Festival gave mention to Chief Paul as a friendly figure watching over the concert.

With a crowd estimate of around 10,000, perhaps not as much as earlier years but still significant, security wasn’t the only thing in demand. Although concessions had been handled in the past with the help of the XGI fraternity, the ‘76 Festival had some outside help in the food department this time around. McDonald’s stepped in and offered quarter pounders, fries, and coke to hungry concert attendees, all for only a five cent premium. Thus hunger pains could be satisfied without having to drift away from the heart of the action.

At the center of that action were the new bands slated to perform the nine hours of free music to the Festival fans. Third Stream was the only group from last year to make a return appearance, but there were plenty of new groups to prevent any awkward stretches of silence. Some of these bands were Just Passin’ Through, Taxi, and Slaughterhouse which, according to another musician from a band called Everyday People, were dubbed as pretty okay. To be fair, it’s hard to get mad when the concert is free!

* A creative interpretation rendered based on facts of the event.