By Chris Six
Published: Jul. 20, 2024 at 11:50 AM CDT|Updated: Jul. 20, 2024 at 4:54 PM CDT
SEDALIA, Mo. (KY3) - July 19-21, 1974, a weekend that not many Missourians know about, but serves a significant part in Show-Me State music history.
That weekend was the Ozark Music Festival, which was organized by several men from Kansas City under the company name Musical Productions. It was held at the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia.
The Ozark Music Festival can only be described as a disaster. It became a haven for drug pushers who were attracted from throughout the United States. It became an exchange point for the transfer of large quantities of drugs which were being transported in inter-state traffic.
It left behind an unbelievable number of young people who were suffering from the effects of narcotics and an untold number of young people who were introduced to hard drugs for the first time. One young man is dead, and another paralyzed.
The scene on the grounds at Sedalia made the degradation of Sodom and Gomorrah appear to be rather mild.
Event organizers expected around 50,000 people would attend, and shared that with authorities in planning meetings. The festival would include performances from bands like The Eagles, Jefferson Starship, Marshall Tucker Band, Bob Seger, Boz Scaggs, and many more, according to the festival flyer. According to a Missouri senate investigation report from October 1974, the last day of the festival would include a church service.
An excerpt from a radio broadcast by well-known DJ Wolfman Jack also mentioned the Ozark Mountain Daredevils were going to be there, but they opted out of the festival to finish recording their “It’ll Shine When It Shines” album in Los Angeles.
Event organizers worked with several agencies, including the Missouri State Highway Patrol, for security. The leading agency was Wells Fargo.
According to the senate report, during a security planning meeting, they were advised that the festival would be an educational and cultural experience and that security officers would escort anyone selling alcohol or drugs to the gate.
During that meeting, a security official said, “They’re going to break down your fences and burn the place to the ground.” That is almost a clear description of what actually happened.
“While many opinions have been expressed, there is general agreement the Ozark Music Festival was unlike anything in recent Missouri history,” the senate report states.
According to the senate report, even the days leading up to the festival were chaotic. On July 15 law enforcement entered the fairgrounds and arrested several for drug violations. During the arrest, authorities say 250-400 people, “...threw stones, cans of corn, pieces of blacktop pavement.”
As the festival approached, security guards were ordered to prevent hassles and fights and not bust anyone.
One day before the Ozark Music Festival.
The senate report states that on Thursday, July 18, traffic was clogging up fast on Highway 65 near Sedalia. Authorities say the main cause of the traffic was due to the ineffective use of fairground entrance gates. Only one gate to the fairgrounds was open Thursday night.
Authorites pleaded with event organizers to open more gates but they refused stating there was an insufficient number of parking lot attendants to handle to traffic volume. Organizers opened additional gates Friday afternoon.
“Highway Patrol analysis indicates the traffic would have moved more smoothly and rapidly onto the fairgrounds had additional gates been opened. Because the gates were not opened many people left their cars and camped on the city streets of Sedalia. According to Colonel Smith, many Sedalia residents, though they did not necessarily welcome the participants, did try to help them by providing trash bags and water hoses. Other residents, perhaps scared or disgusted, left their houses for the duration of the festival,” the report states.
As the festival went on, undercover Highway Patrol agents noticed security personnel using drugs and not escorting anyone doing drugs or alcohol, as previously told to do so. This meant that attendees were engaging in any activity they desired.
Security guards noticed drugs ranging from marijuana, Heroin, opium, LSD, cocaine, and many more. So much so that one security guard stated where the drugs were being sold was like a candy store.
“A nurse who worked in the Women’s Building (at the fairgrounds) summarized the festival as ' .... an alcohol, drug oriented sex orgy from the beginning to the end; I saw things that I wouldn’t have believed had I not seen it,’” the senate report stated.
According to the report, residents of Sedalia were not fans of these out-of-town concertgoers. Business owners cited property damage and theft, and one farmer said some people crossed into his farm and killed some of his livestock.
As the weekend went on, nudity and prostitution became a big problem. Authorities say the main cause of the nudity was the rising temperatures. Because of those rising temps, the sale of beer, wine, and other drinks soared. One concession stand told authorities they sold 300 cases of beer at the price of $1 per can.
But concession stands weren’t the only ones getting a lot of business, doctors in the Seldallia area said they were swamped until the festival ended. At one point, the Women’s Building had 20 or more cots for severe patients, especially drug-related ones.
During the festival weekend, then-Missouri Governor Christopher (Kit) Bond issued two executive orders. One was to allow the National Guard to tow automobiles and other obstructions blocking traffic on the public roads in and around the Sedalia area. And the second was to allow medical personnel and supplies from the NationaI Guard to enter the fairgrounds.
According to the report, some performers were hesitant to play. One performer said he had never seen anything like it in his life.
Several motorcycle gangs also attended the festival and began running rampant, posing as security guards riding golf carts, to harassing other festivalgoers who walked by their area.
Remember when promoters told authorities it would be around 50,000 people? That was not the case. The senate report says 230,000 tickets were printed, and 176,000 buttons and armbands were ordered and given to people once they entered the grounds properly.
In total the festival cost the state of Missouri $69,373.08 for damages, salaries, medical expenses, and more.
A Missouri filmmaker has produced a documentary on the festival, and the film is being shown this weekend in theaters in Independence, Missouri.
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