By Terry Karkos,Staff Writer

MEXICO – Officials behind an Aug. 21 concert to benefit the Moontide Water Festival lambasted a Sun Journal editorial about the event at Wednesday’s selectmen’s meeting.

Joe Roberts, president of the Moontide Water Festival Committee, and concert promoter Jim Viger of Big Vig Productions also revealed marketing plans for the all-day music festival.

“One week ago today, the editorial department of the Sun Journal once again proved they cannot be trusted with any truth or facts,” Roberts said, reading from a prepared statement about the July 20 editorial titled, “Rumford can’t afford a failure.”

“The editorial not only cast many of us in a very bad light, but also presented our towns and the citizenry of the River Valley area in an extremely negative way,” he said.

“This scathing editorial was not based upon truth or facts, but a seemingly deliberate attempt to put the River Valley area down while promoting Lewiston’s own (Great Falls) Balloon Festival,” he added.

The three-day balloon festival is being held Aug. 19-21.

Roberts said the effort to bring national entertainment to the River Valley area has been under way for nearly a year.

“Regardless of the demented ravings of the author of the editorial department, there have and still remains, very positive happenings with this project,” he said.

The event is to raise money for the festival, which owes the town and the fireworks company a total of $22,000 for this year’s July 4 festival. Held annually for three days in downtown Rumford, the Independence Day celebration costs about $40,000. About $4,500 was raised this year to pay for some expenses.

Rumford kicked in its usual $10,000 this year, which paid last year’s debt to the fireworks company, Roberts said. The committee got a $7,000 loan from Rumford also.

Roberts has pledged to personally repay the $7,000 by Sept. 1 if the committee cannot.

Roberts estimated expenses for the concert will be between $35,000 and $40,000.

Headlining the Aug. 21 music festival from noon to 8 p.m. at Mexico’s Recreation Park off Route 17 is Gregg Rolie, co-founder of Santana and Journey, with his Gregg Rolie Band. The band is known for playing Latin and rock music.

Three other bands sharing the stage are: Broby, a folk-rock act; Dakota, a Southern rock band; and local group, Catatonyc.

Several local bands are to also perform on a smaller stage.

Roberts told selectmen that Night Ranger had been chosen to be the headline act, but negotiations broke down due to a management shakeup.

Viger formerly played with the Jeff Watson Band, which later became Night Ranger.

He said the Gregg Rolie Band is definitely coming to Mexico, as stated in the band’s tour information on www.greggrolie.com.

Roberts said that until Big Vig Productions got its contract with Gregg Rolie Band, marketing could not begin. A contract has been signed, he said.

Viger said 6,000 tickets have been printed through Bull Moose Music, rather than Ticketmaster. Tickets, which go on sale Monday, Aug. 1, are $22.50 and will be available at all Bull Moose Music outlets in Maine and New Hampshire.

River Valley area ticket outlets include Z and Z Variety, Hannaford, Maddy’s Pizza, Port-to-Port, and TA-DAH’s Hairstyling Studio. Posters are going up and radio stations are to begin promoting the event.

“This is not a fly-by-night production. Everything is coming together quickly. You can rest assured that Big Vig Productions and all involved are doing the best that can be done to ensure that this concert will be a success,” Roberts said.

Viger, Roberts and Viger’s cousin Greg Viger, who is in charge of security, will meet next week with Mexico department heads, police and Town Manager John Madigan, to plan traffic and crowd control, parking issues and other public services and details.

Madigan said organizers needed to meet soon with town officials to work out details because if 6,000 tickets are sold “that’s a big influx in a town of 2,000.”

He said that in early talks with Viger and Roberts, Mexico was assured to get $30,000. He asked if that would still hold up, and Roberts and Viger said it would if 5,000 to 6,000 tickets are sold.