The Bunny, The Runaway Jim Memorial 5K, Sunk City and Outfield 13, and the House of Live Phish — read on for IT announcements!
As Phish’s summer tour departs glorious Wisconsin, preparations are well underway for IT up in Limestone, Maine. With the festival so close, we’re excited to announce just a few of the key elements and events that are shaping up:
** Get your ears on. High up on the list of essentials to bring to IT would be a boombox. Why? Out of a little trailer behind the stage, we’ll be pumping out 100,000 watts of killer music, traffic reports and event updates, roving interviews with those of you with a penchant for the microphone, a double session of Phish archivist Kevin Shapiro’s “From the Archives” shows, late night audio buggery and have we mentioned the live broadcasts of all six Phish sets? Look for The Bunny out in Sunk City (more on that later) where you can speak your peace. The Bunny airs 24 hours a day beginning Friday, August 1 at 6 AM through Monday, August 4 at 2 PM. If you tune in before or after these times and you hear Jewel, don’t freak out, you’re hearing WQHR, a lovely adult contemporary radio station that we’re hijacking for the weekend. Bring the boombox!
** Nothing like a crisp morning run to get the blood flowing. The 100th Running of the First Annual Runaway Jim Memorial 5K Road Race winds through the campground Sunday morning at 11 am. The race will showcase some of the best and brightest in Tent City as they compete for the prestigious Limestone Cup (there will be a separate Cup for men and women). The band will preside over a moving Winners’ Ceremony onstage during their set Sunday afternoon. All official runners will need to be registered. We’ll make an announcement next week offering preregistration on the IT website, and we’ll also offer limited registration up in Maine. Registration will be limited to 1,500 official runners due to the logistics involved — PLEASE only sign up if you’re serious. Serious enough to show up, not serious enough to win. If you’re not registered, have no fear — you can still run at the end of the pack. SNEAKERS REQUIRED. Drug testing will not take place before or after the race.
** As we’ve noted in other updates, the concert field has been moved from past Maine festivals. The new location features a number of wooded areas, which the Visual Design team has used to their full advantage. Nestled amongst the pines is SUNK CITY, an excavated skyline with art installations and interactive works in progress galore (10,000 rolls of masking tape, anyone?). We’ve opened the venue up early — noon each day — to accommodate for extended browsing, so be sure to check it out. Centered between the Campgrounds and the Concert Field is OUTFIELD 13, a bustling hub of tasty cuisine, unique craft vendors, the House of Live Phish (see below), WaterWheel HQ, the good ol’ United States Post Office, amusement rides, and the General Store (with ice and beer aplenty).
** Amidst the commotion will be a tranquil, well-lit, air-conditioned tent to create your own custom FREE Live Phish CD. Create a playlist from hundreds of Live Phish tracks preloaded onto a couple dozen iMacs, burn a CD on iTunes, and walk out with a great mix for the ride home. Or if you’ve had your fill of Phish, come on in, check your email, check the scores — whatever your pleasure. Special thanks to Apple Computer for providing the iMacs and Verbatim for providing the top quality blank media.
Tickets for IT are still available via the Phish Tickets web site, http://phishtickets.rlc.net, and via Ticketmaster Online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/venue/8418. Tickets may also be charged by phone at the following Northeast Ticketmaster numbers: 207.775.3331, 617.931.2000, 413.733.2500, 212.307.7171, 802.862.5300, 518.476.1000, 401.331.2211, and 757.671.8100. We recommend that tickets be purchased well in advance. PLEASE NOTE: As of July 21, tickets ordered through Ticketmaster MUST be picked up at the venue box office at IT. Tickets ordered from PHISH TICKETS after July 21 can be shipped OR picked up at the venue box office. Tickets ordered after July 25 from PHISH TICKETS will only be available at the venue box office. The venue box office opens at 8 AM On Friday, August 1.