Every summer, there are numerous music festivals held throughout the state involving venues of all types. Some of the fests are as close as Geneva, which has attracted as many as 5,000 people, and others as far away as Detroit Lakes, where a large country music fest attracted 83,000 people in 2007 alone.

What sounds more wholesome then an outdoor music festival, camping, being with friends, listening to music? Although this can most certainly be true, there are facts to be aware of before having your teenager head off for up to five days, as many are held Wednesday to Sunday.

These fests attract young crowds and the atmosphere promotes the use of alcohol and other drugs, most frequently, binge drinking. This has lead to our youth in detox centers and emergency rooms because of alcohol poisoning and drug overdoses. More than once the outcome has been deadly.

The Drug Education Task Force of Freeborn County wants to help educate parents about the risk involved with music festivals.

Last year at a local fest held in Freeborn County in September of 2009, at least two young adults were taken to the emergency room due to drug and/or alcohol use. There have been arrests made involving persons with drugs such as LSD, mushrooms, ecstasy and marijuana coming to or leaving local festivals.

Also in 2009, a 20-year-old female died from a drug overdose at Fat Fest held in Wabasha. In 2008 a 17-year-old female died from a drug overdose at the 10,000 Lakes Festival in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, and in 2007, there were two deaths at that same festival.

The Drug Education Task Force wants to provide parents with suggestions on how they can make better informed decisions when their teen wants to attend a music festival. A few ideas include:

Not allowing your teen to stay overnight at a music festival; tickets are available for one day.

Attend the music festival with them. Sit separately but meet up at designated times for check-ins.

Know the people they are going to the festival with; talk to those parents.

Have contact numbers to be able to reach them at besides their own cell phone.

Talk to your child about the dangers and risks associated with the music festival atmosphere, such as binge drinking or accepting drinks from strangers.

Investigate on the Internet (YouTube has videos showing activities filmed in past years by attendees that are very eye-opening); Facebook and MySpace are also informative.

If you are uncomfortable allowing your child to attend, tell them no.

These venues can be a fun and exciting experience for youth, and the answer is not always to forbid something. Helping educate yourself and your teenager can go a long way in a parent’s ultimate goal: Keeping your teenager safe and healthy while enjoying their summers and early adult experiences.

Agent Holly VanPelt with the Minnesota Department of Corrections wrote this column in collaboration with Andrea Hall of Freeborn County Court Services.