Once again I saw a letter to the editor complaining about the charge-fest that goes on each year at RibFest, or as I nicknamed it in its early days ‘RIP-FEST’.
Some would argue that you have to pay admission to pay for the bands, and to some degree, I can understand that argument. But after you pay for parking and clearly overpriced beverages and food, don’t you think a little of those profits could go towards making the event FREE or at least very affordable (like $2 a person)?
JazzFest accomplishes this every year, and ironically the food and beverages are not even close to the prices RibFest charges. It also makes me chuckle each year when people complain about the cost of food at JazzFest or the bands. First off, you paid nothing to hear the music, and if you are concerned about the food costs, eat a boloney sandwich at home before you come.
It is pretty obvious why ‘RIP-FEST’ is so expensive, it is ran by SMG. Just like events they put on at the EC, they will suck every last penny out of the attendee they can, while pocketing the profits (that they send out of town) and leaving the good taxpayers of Sioux Falls footing the mortgage payments to the facilities they run. As far as SMG is concerned, they are ALWAYS in the black, and I believe them, while leaving all of us in the red.
Maybe I am too naïve to ask SMG to actually give something in return to the people that makes their business profitable. It’s hard to give when you continually take, take, take.