The owner of the Tico Time River Resort in Aztec, New Mexico, will provide San Juan County commissioners on Tuesday with an update of plans for the controversial music festivals.
Owner Rob Holmes is scheduled to give a presentation about the resort, an RV and camping venture less than a mile south of the Colorado state line between Aztec and Durango. The property on the Animas River has ponds, slides, paddleboards and zip lines. Tent, RV and car camping also is offered.
Last year, the resort featured special event weekends, including an electronic dance music festival, a reggae festival, a sober fest and Christian retreat.
But residents of the nearby Riverside neighborhood filed complaints with county officials, saying that the music was too loud, and that visitors, some of whom were nude.
“Ever since Tico Time started up their concert venue with their festivals every other weekend, it’s become a living hell,” Judy Bryson told The Durango Herald. “The music starts out at about 10 during the day, and it’s not so bad during the day, but as the day progresses, it just gets louder and louder and louder as people get more drunk or whatever they’re doing over there.”
Bryson said she and her husband have brought up their concerns with county commissioners countless times, Bryson said.
Robert Shindledecker, who owns property across from a “primitive” campsite, complained about trespassing, defecation and nudity.
I understand that we’re disturbing the neighbors,” Tico Time manager Tammie Carter told the Herald. She said the owner has installed noise-reducing banners and buffers behind the stage to absorb reverb, limited music volumes at certain times and moved up the fireworks display to an earlier time.
The neighbors’ dispute came to a head after The River of Souls Festival on May 20-22. Residents complained to the San Juan County Sheriff's Office, according to the Farmington Daily Times, then attended the San Juan County Commission on May 25 to complain.
This year, the resort has a full plate of festivals, starting with Tico Time’s Sangha Fest, May 5-8. “Sangha Fest celebrates wellness, community, spiritual growth and personal development through yoga, breath, music, meditation, movement, art, dance, nature, ceremony, and play,” the Tico Time website says.
Other scheduled festivals are:
- Tico Time Bluegrass Festival, May 12-15.
- Tico Time Reggae Fest, May 19-22.
- Four Corners Jam Festival, Aug. 4-6.
- 4 Corners Christian Celebration, Aug. 18-21.
- Tico Time Country Festival, Aug. 25-28.
- Unison Festival, Sept. 8-11.
- Serenity Festival, Sept. 15-18.
- Four Corners Reggae Festival, Sept. 22-25.
