Limestone area braces for Phish fan exodus Traffic snarls on rural roads likely as 60,000 exit the state

LIMESTONE – Saturday and Sunday were described as the calm before the storm or the eye of the hurricane between the traffic snarls of Phish fans on Friday and the expected surge as thousands of cars start leaving the “It” festival Sunday night.

Waves of Phish fans, at least 60,000 of them, were mostly off northern Maine’s roads and inside the venue at the Loring Commerce Centre by 4 p.m. Saturday, the time of the first of six shows by the Vermont alternative rock band. The last show of the festival was scheduled to end at midnight Sunday, and police hoped to have the 20,000 to 30,000 vehicles cleared from the grounds by 4 p.m. Monday.

Lt. Darrell Ouellette, commander of the Maine State Police in Aroostook County, hoped that many festival-goers would get some rest before leaving, which also would space out the large flow of traffic. He said extra law enforcement officials would be on duty Sunday night through Monday to help people move out of the area safely.

In 1997, two people died in festival-related accidents, and in 1998, two died and 17 were sent to the hospital, mostly because of tired drivers.

Canadian Customs and Immigration offices from Woodstock, near Houlton, to Clair, New Brunswick, near Fort Kent, have added extra personnel for the weekend.

“We have extra people for immigration and customs work today and tonight,” Immigration officer Raymond Belanger at Edmundston, New Brunswick, said Sunday afternoon. “It’s been like this all weekend because of the concert.”

The weekend was not without its victims.

Two Phish fans were injured Friday night at Fort Fairfield when they were caught between vehicles. One had a fractured leg, and the other had both legs broken. Both were taken to The Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle, according to Officer Stan Nicholson of the Fort Fairfield Police Department on Saturday.

Jeannine Palludan, 22, of Upper Saddle River, N.J., remained hospitalized Saturday and was listed in stable condition at TAMC. The head nurse said Michael Tenny, 22, of Harrington Park, N.J., was not there when she came on duty at 7 a.m. Saturday.

Nicholson said Phish fans, all caught in stop-and-go traffic, were riding atop cars and jumping from one car to another. Palludan and Tenny were injured when they were pinned between the bumpers of two cars in traffic on Route 1A.

A second accident put a pedestrian in the hospital after he was struck by a car Saturday morning at Fort Fairfield.

Amir Zachor, 17, of Chesterfield, Mo., was taken by LifeFlight helicopter to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor shortly after the 4:45 a.m. accident, according to Officer James Chartier. Zachor was said to have suffered head injuries. A nursing supervisor reported him to be in serious condition Sunday night.

Zachor walked into the path of a southbound car operated by Michael Morganti, 25, of Sinking Springs, Pa., on the Houlton Road, according to Chartier. Northbound traffic was at a standstill at the time. The accident remained under investigation Sunday afternoon.

By Sunday, Cary Medical Center at Caribou had treated 10 to 15 people from the festival, Doug McKenna, nursing supervisor, said.

“We treated a fair amount of people, but there was nothing serious,” McKenna said Sunday morning. “It was mostly too much alcohol, or other drugs, and it was mostly keeping an eye on them while they slept it off.”

A spokesperson at The Aroostook Medical Center at Presque Isle said that two cases were brought from the festival. One accident victim was admitted, and one was flown to the Eastern Maine Medical Center on Saturday.

Meanwhile, businesspeople are looking forward to the massive exodus, which they believe will bring many dollars into their cash registers.

Aline and Willard Levesque, owners of Do-Dos Market on Route 89, about four miles from the entrance to the festival, were run ragged Friday and Saturday.

“We will be open all night Sunday, with shifts of workers,” She said Sunday afternoon. “We ran out of stuff and ordered more for when they come out.

“We called in extra help for Sunday night, and we will be open as long as they go by,” she said. “We expect a lot will stop by for beverages and food as they leave for home.”

While the Loring Commerce Centre was full on the weekend, at least 350 of the 380 students at the Loring Job Corps Center were not there.

“We sent most of our students home as of midnight on Thursday,” Darlene Levesque, director of community living, said Sunday afternoon. “They will return on Monday and start classes on Tuesday.

“We just felt that many of our students, between the ages of 16 and 24 years, don’t always make the right decisions for themselves. We felt it healthier for them to not be right next door to all these goings-on,” she said.

Levesque said the decision cost the center a considerable amount of money, but it was done with the welfare of the students in mind.