A recent war of words in the local media between Allegany County Liquor Board Chair Gerald Delaney and organizers of the DelFest Bluegrass Music Festival has the event organizers threatening to pull up stakes and leave Allegany County. The conflict has turned into a classic small town 'he said/he said' scandal which could leave many victims in its wake.

Delaney claims the festival, created and headlined by bluegrass music legend Del McCoury, did not follow the correct protocol in selling and distributing alcohol at the festival's Memorial Day weekend event this year and now runs the risk of not getting a license for this coming year.  DelFest organizers countered that they have followed the same protocol since the creation of the festival three years ago and have accused Delaney of allegedly strong arming the festival to sell alcohol of his choosing.  While no formal charges have been filed by either party, the DelFest organization says if they do not receive a license, they will be forced to pack up and leave.

As the mess plays out in the media and accusations continue to fly, let's keep in mind those entities and individuals who have a great deal to lose in this conflict:

Victim #1:  Mountain Maryland

Having a festival of this quality is a tourism and public relations boon to our area.  It’s no secret that other cities, like York, Penn. (McCoury’s hometown), have been trying to woo the festival away from Mountain Maryland.  And why not?  Anyone can see that the festival attracts thousands of tourists (some international) to the area every Memorial Day weekend.  These concert-goers spend their dollars in Allegany County stores and hotels (estimates were at half a million dollars for this year alone!).  Who wouldn’t want those dollars funneled into their community and that type of positive exposure?  Allegany County, apparently.

Victim #2: The Local Charities

Local charities stand to lose literally thousands of additional dollars if DelFest goes away.  Twenty percent of the weekend’s alcohol sales every year have been distributed to various Allegany County in-need organizations, with an estimated $40 thousand given so far.  In this day of economic hardship, many of our local charities rely on the donations from DelFest to supplement their already constricted budgets.   So those in most need in our area will feel the real repercussions if Delfest were to leave.

Victim #3: The Local Fans

There are so many lovers of good, live music in our area.  It’s refreshing to enjoy this type of multi-act festival in our own back yard in a safe, family-like atmosphere.  While we're lucky to have a mid-size music festival of ANY in this area, we are so fortunate to have an event that attracts such high-caliber musical performers.  In addition to McCoury, countless other legends of bluegrass music have performed on the stage at the Allegany County Fairgrounds, as well as talented up-and-coming acts.  No matter what your musical tastes are, you can't deny the raw talent that descends on our area every year.  And we're lucky to have them.

Victim #4:  Del McCoury

It's tragic that the reputation of Mr. Del McCoury, one of the nicest men in the entertainment world, stands a chance to suffer from these accusations.  A true legend of bluegrass music, McCoury’s international fame has never gone to his head.  McCoury, and his family have often expressed their love of Allegany County and their vision of Cumberland being a bluegrass destination.  It would be a shame if they are forced out over these alleged false accusations and small town corruption.

We need a quick resolution to this problem -- one that will KEEP DelFest in Allegany County and spare the victims of dispute.   AppIndie was founded upon the idea that all voices need to be heard.  Now is your chance.

Anyone who would like to be heard in this ongoing debate is asked to write the Governor of Maryland and express their concern at www.governor.maryland.gov/mail/ or join the Facebook group created about this issue--"Keep DelFest” http://www.facebook.com/pages/Keep-DELFEST-in-Cumberland-MD-get-rid-of-Gerald-Delaney/131268746896174?ref=ts

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