Council clears two downtown blues festivals; city to enforce vendor zone and provide security backup

The Helena City Council approved event permits for two downtown blues festivals and agreed to use a defined festival boundary to restrict unregistered vendors.

An unidentified organizer told the council the twelfth annual Legendary Blues Festival is free to the public and requested city-provided security from about 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. "This event is for the city... I'm just asking the city to ... use the officers in this area to help man ... from 11AM till about 8," the organizer said. The organizer also explained vendors would bring generators for power and must register to operate inside the zone to protect paying vendors.

Councilors reviewed a proposed attachment (section 4, page 63 of the packet) that describes the festival boundary — beginning at the intersection of Columbia/Arkansas and proceeding to Perry Street then to the levee abutting the Mississippi River and back — and voted to attach that boundary description to the Legendary Blues Festival permit rather than adopt a full ordinance through the publication process.

Separately, a King Biscuit Blues Festival representative (introduced as 'Miss Kim') presented the proposed Oct. 9–12 event, saying the application matched last year's configuration, that Walnut Street traffic changes from last year performed well, that vendor rates were lowered this year, and that festival security includes four private teams with sheriff and police departments as backup. The council approved the King Biscuit dates after a motion and roll call.

Both festival approvals included council direction to coordinate vendor placement and finalize security plans with law enforcement; staff said they will hold security meetings in September to finalize arrangements.