Despite a slow start, festgoers showed up and partied for about five hours Saturday at Palmer Fest.
The fest began at about 10 a.m. During that time, the street was still fairly empty. Most people attending the fest were hanging out on balconies and porches.
Hope Morris, a junior studying communications, said she has been to three Palmer Fests, and compared to previous years, she thought the street looked dead. She said the threat of rain may have deterred people from coming to Palmer but that it wasn’t the main factor.
“Maybe it was raining before, but I think … it’s maybe the stricter police,” Morris said.
By 11 a.m., the street became more crowded and police presence increased. The Athens Police Department arrested four people and the Ohio University Police Department arrested three people on alcohol-related charges, according to a media release.
Kaitlyn Logan, a 2018 OU alumna, came down to OU for her first Palmer Fest. Logan was a part of the OU track team, making her unable to attend many fests during her four years. However, the atmosphere of Palmer Fest met her expectations, Logan said.
“There’s a lot of people up here,” Logan said. “So, it definitely lives up to the crowded aspect.”
Rebekah Markovitz, a senior studying news and information journalism, enjoyed the atmosphere of her last fest at OU. She said that more people tend to come out to Palmer since it’s the last fest of the season and that there’s always a good vibe to it.
“Honestly, I feel like this is kind of the usual vibe,” Markovitz said.
Rain was infrequent as fest attendees filled up the street and partied on the lawns. Palmer Fest was shut down at about 3:30 p.m.
The Athens Fire Department had no calls for service related to the event. Athen County Emergency Medical Service had four calls for service, and two of those calls resulted in transports to OhioHealth O’Bleness hospital for alcohol-related symptoms.
