Harrisburg Rock Festival (May 21, 1977) 

By Emily R. Pettet 

Can you believe it’s been seven years already? Maybe you’ll get to see the Spring Rock Festival hit its double digits in a couple of years, but right now you’re here for May 21st’s concert and nothing else. That said, there was still plenty that went on within the parameters of the concert, as always, both good and bad. One thing you know you can always count on though, is the uninterrupted hours of music from regional bands like Latent Image, Taxi, and even a nameless group that some guy from Good People Productions thought sounded pretty good.*

A steady crowd made its way onto the campus grounds, perhaps not as large as previous Festivals, but enough to keep the members of Good People Productions (GPP) busy. Everyone from school staff members and administrators to mothers and greasers came together for the day. Of course everyone’s favorite campus security officer James Paul was there too, catching a rogue frisbee that had hopes of acquainting itself with his face. Cool as ever though, Officer Paul was able to catch it without any harm coming to him or his features.

Meanwhile, the good people of GPP were attracting notice for their not so successful attempt at repurposing their ‘76 tees for the new year. According to one writer for the C.C. Reader, GPP covered up the ‘76 in 1976 with their attempt at a star with ‘77 added on to bring the tees up to date. The refinement of their shirt’s design was probably the least of their worries though as they focused their attention on making sure the concert went on without too many hitches.

Regardless of one’s opinion regarding the state of GPP’s questionable creative decisions, a few bigger problems plagued the Festival this time around. Most of them were nothing too major, just a few cases of heat stroke and instances involving poison ivy, but there was an incident with a reckless driver. Robert J. Mick injured two children, aged twelve and thirteen, by the Olmsted Plaza and was charged with reckless driving along with underaged drinking. Although one of the children had to remain in the hospital after the accident, she was reported to be in stable condition and her friend was released not long after the incident.

Despite this unfortunate occurrence, which was technically reported after the Festival ended, the ‘77 concert was labeled a success. The crowd that always accompanies a free party descended upon the campus from 11:00 in the morning until 7:00 in the evening. Several guests even suggested that the Festival continue until later in the evening like the Festivals of before had, but there is no mention of whether or not the festivities were prolonged. Either way, the 1977 concert came to a close on the evening of May 21st after supplying the public with a good, free time.

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