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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A traveling drum and bugle corps has been bumped from TCF Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota for the second time in two years.
Organizers are unhappy that the Drum Corps International again has had to give up its slot, the Star Tribune (http://strib.mn/1YXSC4O) reported.
In 2014, the university's Athletics Department forced the group to make way for a free concert, costing the school an estimated $125,000 in lost revenue.
In March, the school told the same group, with thousands of student musicians, to move its July 16 event to make room for a private football camp run by Gophers coach Tracy Claeys. That move also is expected to cost the university tens of thousands of dollars in lost rent.
School officials said they mistakenly double-booked the facility last fall and didn't discover the problem until months later.
"This was simply a situation where we made an error in a particular date," said Tom McGinnis, chief financial officer for the Athletics Department, which handles stadium bookings.
The two sides have been trying since March to reschedule the event. But as of Friday, McGinnis said, "we have not come to a final solution."
Minneapolis has been one of the traveling tour's most popular stops, organizers say, drawing up to 8,000 fans every summer to watch some of the top drum and bugle corps in the country. Since 2010, the event has been held at TCF Bank Stadium every summer but one.
The group was ousted from its July 12, 2014, date because Major League Baseball's All-Star Game was in town that weekend, and planners wanted to host a free Imagine Dragons concert at the stadium.
The decision forced Drum Corps International to move its event to two smaller venues, which cut into ticket sales, said Brent Turner, who handles logistics for the Minneapolis event. He estimates that cost the national and local groups about $80,000 in lost revenue.
Last summer, the event returned to TCF Stadium, and organizers put in their request for this year's event last August, according to emails provided by the group. McGinnis said in December that the group could proceed with the July 16, 2016, event. But because of a mix-up, McGinnis later said he was unaware that in September the football camp had requested that same date.
The camp for high school and younger students will pay about $600 a day this year to rent the stadium, McGinnis said. Last year, the Drum Corps paid $96,000 to use the stadium, including $42,000 in rent and ticketing fees.
Event officials say they hope they can salvage this year's show. They have been trying to move the date to July 15, a Friday night, said Dan Acheson, executive director of Drum Corps International.
"As frustrated as we are, we're still very grateful that the university is willing to work with us," Acheson said.
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Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com
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