Monroe County sheriff’s deputies spent a lot of time over Little 500 weekend dispersing large crowds of people that gathered at unsanctioned pop-up parties.
Friday night, about 500 people showed up at Trailhead Pizzeria, located south of Bloomington on Ind. 446 on the route that leads to Lake Monroe. It’s a small family-owned pizza shop that sometimes hosts local bands like Rush Ridge Revival and the Porch Rockers.
April 24, a private party featuring an out-of-town rap artist was scheduled at the roadside restaurant. He brought his own equipment and security force, Trailhead owner Mark Bell said.
But things got out of hand. Bell was more than surprised when an estimated 500 people found their way to the venue, parking illegally in an area with few parking spaces.
Some people had purchased online tickets for the event and others got word of the concert and just showed up, Bell said. Lines formed outside the pizzeria as people waited to get into the at-capacity venue.
Cars lined the two-lane rural highway and filled parking lots at the nearby Cabin restaurant and Pine Grove Pentecostal Church across the road.
Bell said a big party in Bloomington had been shut down, and some of the revelers found their way to Trailhead to continue partying. A lot of people milled about with no place to go.
“We’ve never had anything close at all to this happen before,” Bell said. “It was unanticipated. Now I have more knowledge about how these things happen and know what to expect and how to manage things better.”
Deputies called to the scene to manage the crowd stayed 10 hours, from 4 p.m. until 2 a.m., sheriff’s office spokesman Jeff Brown said.
Brown said the host of the party was listed as someone named “Papa” and that security was provided by a private Indianapolis firm hired for special events.
Multiple 911 calls – from neighbors, passersby and the church – reported parking issues, traffic hazards and people urinating outside.
“Most everyone moved their cars and the party ended at 2 a.m.,” Brown said.
On Saturday afternoon, county deputies, Indiana State Police troopers and an ISP helicopter monitored a pop-up party with between 300 and 500 participants centered at Jumble Firewood and Firefood. It’s located at Ind. 45 and Airport Road just west of Bloomington.
The small family-run business sells bundled firewood and serves barbecue ribs, pulled pork, street tacos, macaroni and cheese, collard greens and pie.
Brown said the party was advertised on social media platforms and attracted hundreds of people from outside Monroe County. No host was located, Brown said, and there was no private security provided.
Deputies were at the scene from 2:30 p.m., until midnight. “We had numerous calls about the traffic congestion and parking,” Brown said. There also were trespassing complaints and two traffic accidents.
“It is unknown if alcohol was served there, but we do know it was present,” Brown said. “We do know this party was announced on social media. A lot of the license plates were from out of town.”
Brown said a review of 911 call logs from Friday afternoon through Sunday morning showed 233 calls for service and that 15%, about 35, were related to Little 500-related parties.
“Our Little 500 calls ranged from parking, trespassing, traffic hazards, noise, indecent exposures, crashes, and disturbances,” he said.
Deputies also were dispatched to noise complaints and loud party calls at short-term rentals located on Fairfax Road, Linda Lane, Bressingham Way, Lower Birdie Galyan Road and Conard Court.
Contact H-T reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Little 500 weekend pop-up parties caused havoc for county deputies
Reporting by Laura Lane, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
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