WILLIAMSTOWN -- Now that the "Destination 2012: Hogs on the Farm" motorcycle rally is over, the Selectmen are likely to continue discussions focused on local zoning bylaws for festivals.
Jane Allen, vice chairwoman of the Selectmen, said Monday she couldn’t speak specifically to how the board may proceed in talking about the matter.
"I don’t know where we’ll end up with this, but I’m sure we’ll be discussing this at some point," she said.
Charles "Rusty" Ransford, owner of the property at 941 Hopper Road at which the three-day event took place, said that roughly 100 people attended Hogs on the Farm.
"There were some issue that hampered attendance a bit, but everybody had a wonderful time," he said. "It very possibly might become an annual thing, but that is dependent upon what happens next year."
The main issue affecting attendance was the local police presence, he said.
"The police patrols were unbelievable for a small event like this," he said.
Police Chief Kyle Johnson said the department spent $1,752 on overtime in the form of extra patrols -- most of which were on Aug. 17 -- for the event. The original estimate for overtime was $5,641, he said. He added that the town will cover the cost of the overtime.
"While the event was coordinated to happen, there simply was very little attendance, thus allowing us to scale back the number of officers working," he said.
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Besides Williamstown Police, state police were seen stationed at the intersection of Green River and Hopper roads on Friday.
When Ransford first came before the Selectmen in May seeking two, one-day wine and malt beverage licenses for Hogs on the Farm, he told the board he didn’t know how many people would be attending, but it could be anywhere form "500 to 1,000 to 5,000." Ransford, president of the Snowford Foundation, a nonprofit that was organizing the rally to benefit military veterans, was denied the licenses.
On July 6, the foundation withdrew its support for Hogs on the Farm, but didn’t officially cancel it.
Ransford said some people might come not knowing the status of the event, and if so, they would be his invited guests for the weekend free of charge. Originally, the cost to attend was $50 per person.
At a Selectmen’s meeting on July 23, David Rempell, chairman of the Selectmen, asked board members if they would like to consider creating a festival zoning bylaw. The suggestion came after the board realized that it had no jurisdiction over the controversial Hogs on the Farm event once it became a non-commercial activity when the Snowford Foundation pulled its support.
Rempell was out of town Monday and unavailable for comment.
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