Chatham County Parks and Recreation officials have canceled bookings and refunded the reservation fees paid by organizers who had reserved Lake Mayer Community Park (1850 E. Montgomery Crossroads) for an event called “Crush and Park” scheduled for Friday, April 19.

With Orange Crush on Tybee Island expected to draw big crowds the following day, Saturday, April 20, the county’s decision to refund and cancel is a notable one.

“It’s not confirmed by the county. We saw that (being promoted online), and it’s not a confirmed, or sanctioned event through the county,” Chatham County Manager Michael Kaigler told Connect Savannah on Tuesday.

“There’s no penalty for people being out there; it’s a public park. People can come to the park, but it’s just that – there is no event there – nothing they are promoting has been approved by (the county).”

A spokesperson with the public information office emailed the county’s response to requests by Connect Savannah for comment on how “Crush and Park” is being viewed by the Parks and Recreation Department, as well as the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office and the Savannah Police Department.

The spokesperson highlighted Lake Mayer’s unique geographic positioning. It is located within City of Savannah city limits, yet it is a county operated facility with pavilions and “community rooms” available to reserve (for fees ranging from $60-$90 per hour) ahead of time on the county’s website or in person at the Parks and Rec Department.

“Parks and Recreation did receive a reservation for facilities at Lake Mayer for the dates and times advertised by the organizers of the ‘Crush and Park’ events,” the county said. “The reservation process involves Parks and Recreation reviewing the event to ensure that it is appropriate for the facility, park, and public property. During the review process, it was discovered that this event would include vendors. Profited events go against the facility rental terms and conditions.”

“A permit was not issued, and the reservation fee was refunded.”

Chatham County lists its rules and regulations for reserving county facilities on its website. Renters cannot use county facilities for profit, such as food trucks or merchant vendors. Police will be monitoring the area carefully on Friday afternoon, the County says.
“While Lake Mayer is a county facility, it sits within the Savannah Police Department’s jurisdiction,” the spokesperson told Connect Savannah. “SPD would be the primary agency to address any issues that occur at the park. Since the CCPD jurisdictional line is in close proximity to Lake Mayer, CCPD will be monitoring the situation and will be able to respond if another agency asks for assistance.”

“A substantial number of additional officers will be on duty beginning Friday, which will help CCPD respond quickly if the need arises.”

The event was first posted and promoted on April 15 by the social media (Facebook) account “Orange Crush 2K24.” The page has been active in promoting events for the weekend of April 19-21 at locations including Tybee Island, Savannah, Chatham County, and Ridgeland, South Carolina.

It has also been adamant in posts to deny rumors that Orange Crush – an annual HBCU beach party unofficially held on Tybee since 1988 – has been “canceled” this year after the signing of Senate Bill 443 earlier this month. The bill allows municipalities (like Tybee) to hold promoters of unpermitted events (like Orange Crush) responsible for monetary costs associated with the events.

The bill would also allow Savannah or Chatham County to do the same if Lake Mayer’s facilities suffer damage from potential “Crush and Park” crowds attending and unaware of the event’s cancelation.

Last year, Orange Crush weekend (April 21-23) attracted 111,100 people over three days and cost the city $187,520, according to the city.

“Listen up. Tybee Island is a free public beach anybody can come to,” reads one Orange Crush 2K24 Facebook post from April 2, 2024. “Can’t nobody stop you from coming there.”

In February, Tre “Britian” Wigfall was denied a special event permit by Tybee Island interim City Manager Michelle Owens (see below). His permit was for an HBCU Food Truck Festival in a parking lot adjacent to the pier on Tybee (a Chatham County operated facility).

Wigfall’s permit request was the only permit denied by Tybee Island for the weekend of April 19-21, according to Georgia Open Records Act requests made by Connect Savannah.

It is unclear who is operating the “Orange Crush 2K24” Facebook page, and it is not known if multiple parties are behind promotion posts for events like the one at Lake Mayer and others in the area scheduled for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Wigfall said, in a phone call with Connect Savannah, that he is not associated with the page or the promoting of the Lake Mayer event.

This article appears in Connect Savannah I April 2024.