ACL Festival 2005

Fest has appeal for teens and even 'tweens

Parents planning to bring their children to this weekend's Austin City Limits Music Festival, despite the possibility of severe weather from Hurricane Rita, should plan ahead and listen to the wisdom of those who have braved the heat and crowds in festivals past.

Sage advice from festival veterans ranges from toting in your own form of shade to having your child "tagged" in case they wander away, and of course, bring rain gear. The Austin Kiddie Limits tent, located between the food court and the AMD Stage, offers refuge, not only from the heat, but also from trying to keep children occupied.

"We've always provided some form of entertainment for kids," says Maury Sullivan, market and communications official for KLRU, whose music show inspired the fest. "We had a small tent and entertainment the first year (2002). It was so successful, we needed to make it larger."

This year, the area's focus on young music enthusiasts is growing even more.

Photo by Kelly West/AA-S Bill Thom, third from left, and his wife, Beth, second from right, will take their children, foreground from left, Austin, 12, Noel, 10, Paloma, 8, and Ian, 18, to the Austin City Limits Festival. Bill Thom says the family plans to attend the festival, rain or shine.   » More ACL Festival.

Austin Kiddie Limits, along with Epiphone, a line of Gibson guitars, will feature an instrument petting zoo for parents and children to interact with musical instruments, including acoustic and electric guitars and drums. Visitors to the Austin Kiddie Limits tent can also look forward to games and giveaways by H-E-B, face painting and a caricaturist by Art for your Head, sand art and the H-E-Buddy Beach — a favorite with children of all ages where they can play in the sand or lounge under an umbrella.

"It's a great place to introduce kids to music," Sullivan says. "Some of the performers, like Sara Hickman and Joe McDermott, are like rock stars. The kids really relate to them."

Additional entertainment on the kids stage includes author, songwriter, singer and puppeteer Lucas Miller, New Orleans' Imagination Movers and local favorites The Biscuit Brothers.

Bill Thom, father of Ian, 18, Austin, 12, Noel, 10 and Paloma, 8, couldn't agree more. Thom says he was in the business of music for nearly 30 years as the owner of a chain of music stores called Harmony House. He and his wife, Beth, made ACL Fest a family affair in 2003, but skipped last year to attend the Jazz Alive festival in San Antonio. This year the family plans to return to ACL Fest and do it all again, rain or shine.

"We've been music fans all of our lives and have turned the kids onto it," Thom says. "We love music and love to be outdoors. Wet weather is certainly not going to stop us."

Thom says they won't risk endangering the family if severe weather strikes. However, if the only fallout from Rita is rainfall, they will don their ponchos and head on down.

Austin Thom is especially excited about this year's festival and the opportunity to see his favorite band, Coldplay.

The family lives near 29th Street and plans to ride bicycles to the festival in lieu of fighting traffic and waiting for shuttles. They will plant a blanket to use as home base and keep in touch with the older boys by using cell phones. Thom advises parents to bring something to create shade because it can be in short supply.

Not everyone, however, thinks it's such a fantastic idea to bring children to the festival. Karen Boykin, who lives near Dripping Springs, says parents would be smart to leave the young ones at home. Boykin offered her opinion while on her way to get a music fix from Waterloo Records on North Lamar Boulevard.

"I went last year, and that was enough to last a lifetime," Boykin says. "If I had children, I wouldn't take them (because of) the heat and long lines."

The heat is a subject everyone can agree upon. Despite the entertainment diversions for children — and the fact that children younger than 10 get in free if accompanied by a ticketholding adult — parents, and everyone else, still need to plan ahead and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

"Heat-related emergencies were our No. 1 issue last year," Tannifer Ayers, president of the South West Emergency Action Team, says. "I highly recommend parents bring sunblock, Band-Aids, Handi Wipes and anything special to their child's needs, like inhalers. I also encourage parents to have their children wear proper shoes for the amount of walking and to hydrate their children throughout the day to prevent heat-related emergencies."

S.W.E.A.T. provides paramedics, emergency medical technicians and other medical personnel to concerts, movie sets, athletic and other special events. Ayers said they do not have specific data on the number of children treated in the past, but the numbers have increased year after year. Ayers also recommends parents register with KLRU's free tagging program set up at the information booth just inside the main entrance. Lost children and parents can reunite via a special numbered wristband. Last year they tagged more than 2,000 children.

"If your child is under 18, but old enough to attend ACL without you, please make sure you send them with an emergency contact number and be available to answer that call should it arise," Ayers advises.

Even with the efforts to make the fest kid-friendly, South Austin resident Ron Pippin and his wife, Julie Faust Pippin, this year will forgo their three-year tradition of attending. Their son Max was born Aug. 24.

"It was so hot last year," Pippin says. "You're not supposed to take a newborn out for two months. We might consider it if they (had) made the festival later in the year."

It looks like little Max will have to wait until next year for his introduction to live music in Austin.