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DENTON - Rick Reid appreciates the Fry Street Fair's rich tradition in the community, having owned three bars along Fry Street and Avenue A in Denton for the past dozen years.
However, with close to 20,000 people packed into an area smaller than a football field for one day in April, Reid and others in the eclectic businesses that include bars, shops and hair salons on the outskirts of the University of North Texas campus have grown increasingly weary of issues surrounding the annual event.
The local music festival, hosted by the Delta Lodge fraternity, began 23 years ago as a charity event attracting 12,000 people. But in the past five years, the festival's growing crowds have created more problems than profits for some in the Fry Street district.
"Maybe I'm getting too old for this thing, but it's not worth the hassle," Reid said. "After I get done paying for extra security, a full staff to work all day and any damages done to my bars, I barely make a profit."
Reid's past and present businesses, Muthers, The Side Bar and Rick's Place willingly participated in hosting...