The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/31966
Arlo Guthrie performs. Continued from Page 16 “The risks far outweigh the benefits,” Pope said. Ommegang Public Relations and Creative Services Manager Larry Bennett is aware of the risks, and has been a major anti-fracking advocate for the brewery, which got involved in the fracking discussion in the fall. “As a brewery operation, it’s about the water,” Ben- nett said. “If we can’t get water, we can’t make beer. We get all of our water from under the brewery ... we’re focused on the water issue. Whether you’re rais- ing livestock or watering vegetables or making beer, if the water is contaminated, we all have enormous problems.” Bennett acknowledged the economic reasons why landowners would sell their land to gas-drilling com- panies, and that farms have struggled during these difficult economic times. “I understand why people in the farming or landown- ing community are interested in it; they have big taxes to worry about,” he said. “I’d like to have some way to help with my taxes in Delaware County, but I’m not going to put gas drills on it.” Bennett, who lives on an old farm in Delaware The Horseshoe Lounge Playboys perform on the stage erected on Brewery Ommegang’s property. County, said gas drilling could seriously alter the qual- ity of life in the area, which is something he said he and his wife moved from the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina for _ “a quieter way of life.” Carloyn Fink and Jason Miller of Walton started their own two-person grassroots anti-fracking group, BigwaterNY, and were at the concert unofficially. But, when the Audubon Society ran out of anti-fracking papers, the couple gave the society the 300 copies of letters they had written to elected officials they had in their car. “We’re doing our own little campaign because we’re so upset about it,” Miller said. “It’s something that keeps us up at night.” The two said they have collected 1,600 signed letters so far. “It’s obviously the wrong way to go,” Fink said. “It’s something that would completely destroy the sur- rounding area.” Bennett said that to survive economically, upstate New York needs to “reinvent itself.” “We have to find other ways for our economy to survive, and we don’t think gas drilling is the way to do it,” he said. Ommegang and its parent company, Belgium-based Duvel, have completely embraced an anti-fracking stance, according to Bennett, who said the brewery organized the event for three reasons. “There are three goals,” Bennett said the Thursday before the event, “one of them is to get some publicity and help spread the word about the issue, another is to raise money for anti-fracking groups, and the third is to give everyone who’s been working on the issue the chance to get together for a little party, or a big party. Probably the order is raise money, spread the word, have a party.” Friday night, Ommegang beer flowed freely (for $5 a cup) and people spread out over the hill and in front of the stage danced as Guthrie, Helm and opening local band the Horseshoe Lounge Playboys played under a banner reading “Pure, Clean Water: Yes; Fracking: No.” “(The show) is a shot in the arm _ in a good way,” Pope said Friday night in front of tents and tables with anti-fracking literature, “for people who have been working so hard for so many months.” _ Cassandra Miller May 19, 2011 O-Town Scene 17