Wheaton block's 'salute to Woodstock' stopped

Facing opposition from their neighbors, a group of Wheaton residents have pulled the plug on plans to transform an annual block party into a fundraiser honoring the 40th anniversary of Woodstock.

On Monday night, Jim Myrick withdrew the special event permit request he made for a proposed daylong local music festival along Indiana Street.

Myrick told city council members that he now agrees the area between Chase and President streets would have been too small for the Aug. 15 event, which was expected to draw between 200 and 500 people.

"We the organizers have to step down because it's way over our heads," he said. "It is not going to be on East Indiana Street because it just won't fit there."

Originally, Myrick and others wanted to do something special for their block's annual party. They chose to commemorate the famed 1969 music festival by adopting a "Giving Back to the Community" theme and deciding the party should serve as a fundraiser for the People's Resource Center in Wheaton.

But when seven bands agreed to perform and the event was advertised as a communitywide celebration, the city revoked the block party's permit.

Then, several neighbors urged the city council to deny the application for the special event permit. Opponents, representing 13 households along Indiana Street, submitted a petition to scuttle the party.

Councilman Tom Mouhelis, who represents the area where the event would have been held, said canceling it was the right thing to do.

"The neighbors were totally against this party," said Mouhelis, adding that he believes the council would have denied the permit request. "It's way too big."

Myrick said things got out of hand when the party inadvertently got advertised as a communitywide event. While he wishes the benefit could happen, Myrick said it would be too difficult to meet all the city's requirements.

For example, organizers would have had to get liability insurance and develop plans for parking and security.

In the meantime, Myrick blamed "lack of communication" on why his neighbors opposed the idea.

"It almost became a neighborhood dispute, and that's sad," he said. "It wasn't intended to make anybody upset."