DATE: Friday, June 27, 1997                 TAG: 9706270694

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY DIANE WASHINGTON, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   58 lines

FEELING THE HEAT

Hundreds lingered in the shadeless parking lot of the GTE Virginia Beach Amphitheater Thursday as the Furthur Festival limbered up nearby.

The temperature shot past 100 degrees as the sunburned and sweating faithful waited for a chance at tickets or the announcement of their favorite acts. But most had cool ways of dealing with the heat.

``I just keep my hat filled with ice,'' said Mark Hennessey, 24, of Austin, Texas. ``As the ice melts, it runs down face.''

Hennessey walked around the parking lot bareback with his trusty wool hat selling his home-made hemp jewelry. ``As long as I replenish my ice every half an hour or so, I'm fine,'' he said.

One-year-old Sarah Mohr also wore a hat, except hers was to block out the sun. Kelly Grierson, Sarah's mom, thought a cool treat might make Sarah a bit more comfortable.

``She's got her hat and I keep giving her plenty to drink,'' Grierson said. ``But for her the popsicles are working the best.''

The parking lot crowd braved the summer swelter for the traveling one-day show that featured such acts as the Black Crowes, Bruce Hornsby and Arlo Guthrie. The show started at 4 p.m. and lasted late into the evening.

During the afternoon, shaded areas outside the park were scarce, but some found patches of refuge under the newly planted oak trees.

``It's not that bad here in the shade,'' said Lisa Krehbiel of Williamsburg, as she sat with her shoes off waiting patiently for the next breeze.

``If people want to stay cool, they need to find shaded areas and drink lots of water,'' she said.

Lots of people had water, but few were actually drinking it.

``I don't need sunblock or anything,'' said Matt Ayotte, 19, from Maine as he poured a cup of cold water over his head. ``All I need is a lot of liquid,'' he said, smiling as the water slowly dripped down his face.

Not everyone was taking the heat so lightly.

``People don't take this type of weather seriously,'' said Marie Catanese, 17, from Ohio. Catanese fainted last year at a similar event due to the heat and says she now takes better care of herself.

``I drink lots of water and rest about every half an hour so I won't faint again,'' she said.

By 6 p.m. Thursday about 10 people who attended the Furthur Festival had been treated for heat-related problems, said Robert Helfant, captain of the Princess Anne Volunteer Rescue Squad.

``In this type of heat people need to drink about a quart of water an hour to replenish fluids in their body,'' Helfant said. ``That's a lot of water to drink, but it's important.

``The object is to have a good time and enjoy yourself. If you stop sweating in this kind of heat, you should know you're in trouble.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo HUY NGUYEN/The Virginian-Pilot

Concert-goers navigate a dust cloud in the parking lot outside the

GTE Virginia Beach Amphitheater, which was visited Thursday by the

Furthur Festival. KEYWORDS: WEATHER

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