WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The Wausau City Council will consider final approval for a monster truck show in Marathon Park during their regular Tuesday night meeting this week.
AMP Live Events has scheduled an MTE Tour event at the grandstand in Marathon Park for Saturday, August 27th. The schedule includes two shows at 1:30 PM and 7:30 PM each lasting around two and a half hours. Organizers say the show will be the first of its kind in the Park, and as it stands it’s also slated to be the first large gathering in the park since the COVID-19 outbreak hit.
The City’s Public Health and Safety Committee approved a license for the event last Thursday. Organizers say they will limit ticket sales and post signs to encourage social distancing, while also making more handwashing and sanitizing stations available for guests.
Organizers have already been promoting the event online, and tickets are on sale. The capacity for the event will be limited to between 3,000-4,000. Alder Lisa Rasmussen, who sits on the Public Health and Safety Committee, said with a grandstand and infield capacity of 10,000 she feels comfortable that attendees would be able to spread out.
The license for the event did pass on a 3-1 vote during a special Committee meeting last Thursday. According to the meeting minutes, Alder Pat Peckham voted against the measure because the city had closed the pools for the summer, though he did think the organizers had a good plan in place to keep the event safe.
The license was initially denied because the event’s promotor had technical issues while trying to participate in August’s regular PH&S meeting via zoom, prompting the special meeting to allow the matter to be put on Tuesday’s regular council meeting.
Outside of a few livestock events, Marathon Park has sat quietly by this summer. The 2020 Wisconsin Valley Fair was called off due to COVID-19, and no other events or concerts were held in the grandstand area as health officials have discouraged most large gatherings to prevent the spread of the virus.
