Safety top of mind as Rock the South about to start

CULLMAN, Ala. ( WIAT ) — In under 24 hours, thousands of people will be gathering in Cullman for Rock the South, an annual country music festival. Crowded outdoor events, however, can come with some safety concerns.

Rock the South organizers said the past weekend’s events didn’t heighten safety concerns because they were already at the top level of concern for the people who come out.

“There’s always a heightened level of paying attention to those things,” Shane Quick, one of the founders of Rock the South, said.

Rock the South organizers said when working in live events, violence is something you have to worry about but trusts in the plan made in cooperation with local law enforcement to keep the thousands of country music fans safe.

“People come here to have a great time, make memories, give to some incredible charities, come together around things we can all agree on that we’re privileged to be Americans,” Quick said. “We’re privileged to live in this day and age.”

At Rock the South last year, 18-year-old Reid Watts was hospitalized after being attacked by three men . Quick said while concertgoers were quick to help with videos and identification of the attackers. There will be more cameras at the event this year to help with surveillance.

“It was definitely something we’d never seen before in 15 years, and we pray it never happens again,” Quick said. “If it does, they’ll be given the full extent of the law, and it’s not tolerated.”

While people are excited to get on the field and jam out, they’re still a little worried about what could happen.

“I get nervous in crowds,” first-time concertgoer Colton Jackson said. “I think I should have a fun time though with my father.”

“You can tell by body motions and how people are acting if it looks like it’s fixing to be a fight,” Rock the South camper Brandon Jackson said. “If it’s fixing to break out, you just say, ‘Let’s go this way.’ Just kind of redirect — go around it.”

Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry said law enforcement will be keeping an eye out for people who might be a little too rowdy to help keep fights at bay.

“We’re going to be talking to people,” Gentry said. “If we see somebody, and you’re with a group, and you can tell that person is getting a little too intoxicated, we’re going to be telling them, ‘Hey, go take them to the medical tent. They need some IVs. They need fluids. They need water because they’re heading down a road that may land them out of the event or in jail.’”

The Cullman Police Department said it will be patrolling inside the venue with smaller teams, so it’s easier to navigate in and out of the crowds.

“In the past we’ve had teams of anywhere from five to seven officers, and it’s kind of like getting that many people walking through a line is difficult to do,” Cullman Police Chief David Nassetta said. “It’s always violence. That’s always our biggest concern. But realistically we spend a whole lot more time fighting the crowds trying to get EMS in to people who have fallen out in a big group of people.”

The Rock the South venue is on city property, so uniformed police officers will be roaming it. The outside of the venue is county property, so the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office will be patrolling and monitoring traffic.

The doors will open at Rock the South on Thursday at 3 p.m., with the first act is scheduled at 4 p.m. to take the stage. For the full schedule and a list of items you can and cannot take into the venue, click here .

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