THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 9, 1994 TAG: 9409080196
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
2:17 p.m. - Fifth Street and Atlantic.
Mary Bishop of Virginia Beach and Judy Lewis of Norfolk mouth the words to the Billy Ray Cyrus tune that the country music star is singing on stage. An audience of more than 10,000 has turned out to see the ``Achy Breaky'' icon, but Bishop and Lewis have opted to sit outside the gates.
``I'm a fan, but not that big of a fan,'' Bishop says. She adds that the sunny skies are good for a concert, but the wind is still a problem.
The two women are sitting on a table underneath a canopy. Though they decided not to pay for the show, Lewis says the festival is going smoothly. ``It's pretty well organized this year,'' she says.
- Larry W. Brown
2:45 p.m. - Fifth Street stage on beach.
As thousands yell and cheer to the tune of Billy Ray Cyrus, dozens of children play at the edge of the rough, wind-assisted waters. Tall sand dunes have been erected to give concert-goers a better view of the show.
On the outskirts of the dense crowd, Bob Sawyer of Portsmouth and Stephanie Sayre of Chesapeake stand and listen to the show through the nearby speakers. Cyrus' long hair and red shirt are barely visible in the distance.
``I'm impressed by the sound system,'' Sawyer shouts.
``The biggest distraction is the wind but you can't help that,'' Sawyer adds.
- Larry W. Brown
2:58 p.m. - Fifth Street Stage on the beach.
Donna Stevens of Virginia Beach and Gill and Dorothy Moore of Courtland stand and cheer Billy Ray Cyrus' ``Red Neck Heaven.''
``I love it,'' says Gill Moore before running off to get some more refreshments. ``I loved it yesterday, I love it today and I'm sure to love it tomorrow.''
Stevens says she thinks the American Music Festival has been going smoothly but there has been some problems with the shuttles. ``We walked all the way from 33rd Street,'' she explains.
Aside from that, Moore says the weekend has been great. ``The people are very friendly,'' she says. ``Being the first (music festival) I think they're doing a good job.''
- Larry W. Brown
5:37 p.m. - Outside the Peppermint Beach Club at 15th Street and Atlantic.
With bags in hands, Effie West of Media, Pa., and Eva Wilson of Philadelphia take a break from walking to wait for one of the northbound shuttles.
``We come down every year to Virginia Beach to go fishing and see the young people enjoy themselves,'' West says. ``It's just been cool and windy.''
Wilson agrees but adds that wasn't her only gripe. She says the police presence was a bit much, especially in handling traffic.
``The shuttles seem to be crowded, but they're not running as frequently as they should,'' she says, looking down the street. ``For crowds like this they should put out more shuttles.''
The two women clutch a pair of tickets for the next day's Temptations/Four Tops concert. Besides the weather, the Labor Day weekend has been more quiet than in years past, they say.
``I don't think it's as crowded,'' West says. ``Everybody I've seen seems to be acting nice.''
- Larry W. Brown
9:30 p.m. - 22nd Street and Pacific.
A line of cars stretches as far as the eye can see west along 22nd Street to the expressway. The cars move along at a creep, from the southbound and northbound lanes and are channeled west by policemen with orange cones attached to their flashlights. The scene looks like gridlock worthy of a Los Angeles expressway.
- Tom Holden ILLUSTRATION: Photo by L. TODD SPENCER
An audience of more than 10,000 has turned out to see the ``Achy
Breaky'' icon, Billy Ray Cyrus.
Staff photos by MORT FRYMAN
A group of young men try to get the attention of a woman on a motel
balcony.
Larissa Woloshyn, left, and her sister Maya build a sandcastle while
the music plays on.
by CNB