Rock Festival "Piladzis" Smashes The Eardrums Of Stelpians

 
Stelpe has come to the brink of its first rock festival "Piladzis" with many famous artists taking part. Yet I have quite dubious feeling about this by all means outstanding event for Stelpe community.

When I went past the Erik Piladzis property yesterday afternoon, I saw a metal fence put up all around the area. Workers were cutting grass, attaching gadgets and the air or preparation was there. A solid scope of investment, huge expectancy.

Erik Piladzis, the host of the festival, is the owner of, obviously, the biggest and most advanced private house in Stelpe. Around it, he has planted a beautiful garden that gives joy to passers-by, and now there is also a motor-cross track which is gradually becoming known all over the country. Erik owns also a few shops but they all are located outside Stelpe.

Once he had a shop also in Stelpe but that did not survive. The reason might be too few customers, of course, mainly local people, no one coming from outside. But that shop was also connected with rumor of products being of somewhat questionable quality and most of them unreasonably expensive. So, for an average Stelpian, it looked more like the shop did not survive the competition against the two other shops owned by someone else.

But that's quite a distant past when seen from today. Yet this fact helps to explain in a way as to why I don't feel just happy about the rock festival. And there is a little more background information.

Erik has been applying on a regular basis for the local government elections yet it was long since people voted for him. Being a bright and smart man, he actually never gets elected. Why? Isn't that a clear sign of him having poor support from the local people of Stelpe? Feeling that, Erik has obviously chosen a hard line against those 'envious Stelpians'. And here he goes.

He has made a huge investment into the motor-cross track and put it right in the center of one of the most inhabited areas of Stelpe. What once was a quiet place now needs to endure the harsh noise of the engines. When it comes closer to a competition, the training races may last all day long. I have never heard any questions asked by Erik to Stelpe society how they feel about that, and by what figure has the market price of their houses plunged because of the noise and dust. One might wonder also whether those people have any legal leverage to restrict the endeavors of their neighbor.

Yesterday evening, we heard the festival loudspeakers turned on in the trial mode sounding some gentle melody. It was heard near and far, and the bass line made our windows tremble even though we do not live in an immediate closeness to the site. I often ask this question to myself what those living closer feel.

And that was only with a few lines of some unobtrusive pattern of music. What is this to be like when the real rough rocking guys come? Hold on, Stelpe!

During the festival, there will be also some entertainment for children and adults. But again, with the decent entrance fees, there is little for the local people to do.

Let it be a celebration once there is one. But is it really a celebration for Stelpe or rather against Stelpe? The present course makes me think that even stepping over dead bodies of Stelpians would not prevent this festival from taking place.

More information about the festival:

http://www.last.fm/festival/1596034+Rock+Festival+P%C4%ABl%C4%81dzis+2010%27

The official site of the festival :

www.piladzis.lv