Many students attend the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival every year in New Orleans, and Quint Davis is aiming to bring the same kind of atmosphere to Baton Rouge — more specifically, Tiger Stadium — in 2010.Davis, the producer of Jazz Fest and other similar events in New Orleans, wants the city to contribute $300,000 to help sponsor the proposed country music festival. The total cost of the festival is estimated to be $6 million, with a projected return of about $22 million. Mayor-President Kip Holden said he and the city support the festival, and we would like to see it take place.The festival would take place during Memorial Day weekend in 2010, a weekend that many Baton Rouge residents choose to take vacations. If an event like this was held in the city, it may encourage people to stay. There is the initial concern about a concert being held on the Tiger Stadium football field because a large amount of money and time goes into maintaining the field. But Athletic Director Joe Alleva said a cover would be set up to prevent damage.A more serious worry is funding needed for the festival. In economic hardships, it hardly seems fiscally responsible to throw $300,000 at a new project, but the return should greatly benefit the city and the University. Although country music may not be our personal choice in the music department, there is no denying that its popularity among many students or the attention it would attract. And the festival could set a good precedent for other events like it. Baton Rouge is probably not the first place artists or performers think of to schedule a stop, but if this event was successful enough, they may start considering it. Tiger Stadium is the most exciting place on Saturday nights in the fall, but 92,000 seats are unoccupied the rest of the year. Why not put them to use?—–Contact the Editorial Board at [email protected]