Town approves Route 16 music festival street closure and $10,000 sponsorship

Organizers of the Route 16 music festival received Town of Tazewell council backing for a downtown street closure and a $10,000 sponsorship aimed at marketing, staging and logistics.

Chris Myers, one of the presenters, told council the festival intends to be run by a nonprofit and to become self-sustaining through tickets and vendor fees: “Part of our business plan was a music festival … this was going to be their fifth year,” he said, describing efforts to re-establish a regional event and attract visitors from neighboring states.

Council members debated the operational details — vendor setup, stage footprints and the festival’s footprint from West Street to the funeral home — and the potential economic upside. A councilor said last winter’s concert drew attendees from Richmond and multiple states and argued the festival could help make Tazewell “a destination.” Organizers said tickets would be $10–$15 and that town marketing funds would be used to re‑announce acts after a recent event withdrawal.

The council approved the request to close Main Street from West Avenue through the proposed footprint for vendor setup and two stages; members clarified that the Commonwealth’s attorney had provisionally cleared a noon closure on Friday for vendor setup. Separately, the council voted to provide a $10,000 sponsorship to the nonprofit running the Route 16 festival. The motion passed with a recorded tally described in the meeting as three yes and one no.

Several business owners who spoke in the meeting urged the council and organizers to coordinate access and volunteer staffing to reduce negative effects on businesses fronting the closed segment. One restaurant owner said closures had previously depressed pedestrian traffic on their end of the street unless organizers intentionally routed attendees nearby.

Organizers acknowledged those concerns and described plans to recruit volunteers and a professional logistics contractor to manage ingress, egress and ADA access. They said funds would be used primarily for marketing, PA systems and sound engineers and for a second PA system and lighting demanded by the multi‑stage plan.

The council’s approval permits organizers to move forward with permitting and street coordination; organizers said they plan to finalize vendor logistics and band contracts immediately so they can book national acts for future years.