This day in history: Rock festival at speedway leads to delay. Police chief says city jail prisoners fed ‘dirty food,’ ‘wormy meat’

From 1976: On the morning of June 5, 1976, The Spokesman-Review was already reporting problems with the big Nor’wester ’76 rock festival at the speedway in Stateline.

“Last minute financial problems” delayed the opening almost five hours causing the crowd of 3,500 to 4,000 to grow restless.

The headliner, Blue Oyster Cult, “refused to perform” until paid the remainder of its fee. The band had been paid half in advance, but when it demanded the rest of the money, the promoters did not have the cash. The problem was “a smaller than anticipated opening day crowd.”

Meanwhile, the company providing the sound system was also demanding payment, and “pulled the plug” until it was paid. These problems were eventually resolved, but by then, the festival was far behind schedule. Blue Oyster Cult’s performance ended at 2 a.m.

By the same afternoon, the Spokane Chronicle reported even more problems.

“A rather restless crowd drank themselves to near exhaustion” the night before. The “energy of the crowd” had “grown intense” while waiting for the music to resume at 3 p.m.

The promoters were still expressing optimism that all would be well. They couldn’t have been more wrong.

See tomorrow’s column for details.

From 1926: The Spokane police chief charged that city jail prisoners were being fed “dirty food and tainted and wormy meat,” and moved to annul the contract of Cora Comers, who was providing the meals.

The city’s commissioner of public safety agreed, declaring that he “would not feed to a dog the sort of food the prisoners were compelled to eat.”

The police chief said that for the amount of money paid to Comers, “excellent food should be served.”

The City Council moved to take informal bids for a new contract.