Post edited 12:21 am - June 4, 2009 by Stewart

The Tacoma News Tribune reports that Wintergrass is considering a move to Bellevue:

Wintergrass, the popular Tacoma bluegrass festival, is looking for greener pastures, city officials have learned.

Tacoma needs to do what it can to keep the festival, which draws thousands of people each year, City Councilwoman Julie Anderson told the city manager at a committee meeting Tuesday afternoon.

“We need to be aggressive here,” Mayor Bill Baarsma added. “We need to keep this at the center of our radar.”

Councilwoman Marilyn Strickland said the event was “one of the few times you see downtown really packed.”

Festival director Patrice O’Neill confirmed that Wintergrass has been in serious negotiations with the Hyatt Regency Bellevue for about two weeks. She expected organizers to make a decision about uprooting the festival, which celebrated its 16th year in February, by the end of next week.

The full story is on the News Tribune site.