CRESTED BUTTE — Fences are going up around town — and so are anger levels — in preparation for a huge Bud Light town-takeover beer bash next week that the Crested Butte Town Council has yet to officially approve.
David Daniels, marketing director for Anheuser-Busch’s Bud Light brand, confirmed that the “activation” for the company’s secretive “Are You Up for Whatever?” ad campaign began Tuesday. It started the day after the council held an 8½-hour public hearing that started Monday evening and ended in the wee hours Tuesday morning — with no resolution but with a temporary permit for Anheuser-Busch to start building its faux Whatever town.
Part Two of the town meeting is set for Thursday evening when the council is going to vote on a major special event permit for the event.
“Yes, fencing is already going up. That is part of our operational agreement …that we could have availability this week,” said Daniels, who attributed public concerns to a lack of understanding over “the scope and scale of the activation.”
Crested Butte resident Sarah Steffens is one of many locals not happy about that activation.
“Just today I took my son to the skate park and we could not get water or use the bathroom facilities because they were blocked off,” she wrote in an e-mail Tuesday.
Bud Light has been building up buzz about a fictional town called Whatever since the last Super Bowl. TV commercials and social media videos have teased about a mysterious town the company is creating and have urged Bud Light fans to apply on-line for a visit to Whatever.
More than 100,000 have done so, and more than 1,000 of them have been chosen to be flown to Gunnison and bused to Crested Butte for a giant bash Sept. 5-7. The event will also bring in 300 workers, VIPs, performers and special guests.
“We believe our consumers like us to do big and bold things,” Daniels said about the company’s first-ever takeover of a town.
According to a more than 100-page operational plan for the event, Crested Butte’s iconic Elk Avenue will be disguised with blue paint and light poles, Bud Light branded fencing and an archway and sign welcoming visitors to Whatever. Bands and buskers will perform on stages being built on the avenue and at the town’s ice rink. Only Anheuser-Bush products will be displayed or available in the participating downtown bars.
The whole blue melee will be filmed. For turning parts of Crested Butte into a stage set, Anheuser-Busch has agreed to pay the town $250,000.
Former U.S. Senator Tim Wirth is one of many anti-Whatever residents complaining that is not enough. Wirth outlined a long list of other factors he doesn’t like in a letter this week to the town council.
“The town government is not elected to turn the town into a weekend beer hall, using public resources and public property,” Wirth wrote. “Nor is it elected to carry on secret, behind-the-scenes negotiations, waiting until commitments are a fait accompli before informing town residents.”
Town officials had been working with Bud Light executives and a Chicago marketing firm since last spring, but residents did not learn of the plan to paint their town blue until word started leaking out several weeks ago.
Some residents are all for becoming Whatever for a weekend because of the jobs it will create, the money it will bring in, and the fun that is on tap.
Others are incensed that they weren’t given a say in the matter that was negotiated in secret. They objected at the public hearing to linking their quirky, historic mining town to a corporate beer conglomerate and questioned what kind of message the event sends to the youth of Crested Butte.
Daniels said his company chose Crested Butte because of its beautiful setting and because it appeared to be a town that likes to have a lot of fun. Crested Butte is known for many annual events when locals tend to show up in whacky costumes.
Daniels said those costumed locals will be welcomed on the Whatever set. But in a Whatever rule that is sure to set off another wave of anger, he said the townie bikes that are ubiquitous in Crested Butte will not be allowed on Elk Avenue during the Bud Light takeover. He doesn’t expect that to be a big problem.
“We honestly are very confident that we are going to be sharing an amazing experience with Crested Butte and Mount Crested Butte,” Daniels said. “I think the community will embrace the fun aspect of this.”
Crested Butte Town Administrator Todd Crossett is currently not enjoying Whatever. He said Wednesday he has been inundated with calls from locals and from national media.
“Our town is clearly not short on opinions, but that doesn’t usually get national attention,” Crossett said.
Nancy Lofholm: 970-256-1957, nlofholm@denverpost.com or twitter.com/nlofholm
