Dear Editor,

Nederland Jazz & Wine Festival organizer Stephanie Andelman hit a sour note heard by many on Saturday. A friend and I were enjoying the festival courtesy of another friend who couldn’t attend, who had gifted my friend with two VIP tickets (valued at $98 each). We spent a pleasant hour enjoying the music and the beautiful day. Both my friend and I are seniors, and we’ve both lived around here for decades. Later we noticed that the festival advertises on its flyer that it proudly supports Nederland Area Seniors.

We were visiting with a conversational off-duty policeman who was working security near the children’s fishing pond when Andelman confronted my companion, appearing seemingly from nowhere. She loudly ordered him out of the venue. Both of us were taken aback by this smack down from left field. My heart rate and blood pressure went too high. My friend patiently explained that he had valid tickets. When he produced the tickets, Ms Alderman grabbed them from his hand and dramatically proceeded to tear them up! She identified herself as Stephanie Andelman, stating that she owned “this”…… gesturing around the park. Finally she clarified, she owned “this festival.” Dozens of festival goers watched uneasily as the drama unfolded.

My friend had repeatedly urged Andelman to call the donor of the tickets, since Andelman apparently had made the assumption that the tickets had not been acquired properly. He was able to recover the torn up pieces of the tickets. Andelman finally agreed to call to verify that the tickets were on the up and up, and went off, she said, to find her phone. She did not return, nor did she apologize. Later we visited with another local senior who had originally planned to go with the lady who gave up the tickets, and she was shocked to hear how we had been treated and how the nice afternoon envisioned for my friend was vandalized by the festival organizer.

This attack shook my friend and me up considerably, and definitely killed the vibe for a pleasant day in the park listening to music. Days later, the feelings that come from being attacked from nowhere for no reason linger, not a good feeling. If someone else had done this, or had Andelman attacked a person from a minority group (other than the old-time Nederland group!) she might be criminally prosecuted. Certainly this type of behavior by a patron would have resulted in them being escorted off-site and possibly restricted from re-entry. The scene was shameful and unnecessary, disruptive to those who witnessed it, and puts our entire community in a bad light.

Mary Jarril

Nederland resident since 1988