Organizers were attempting to put together a rock festival in Lawrence, to be held at a city park unless city commissioners blocked the use of city property. Kansas University had already vetoed the preferred site of Potter Lake, but organizers were hoping for the use of a city-owned field behind the Gatehouse Apartment Complex on 25th Street. The purpose of the proposed festival was stated to be “to cool off Lawrence.”

Douglas County welfare officials were predicting that the department would finish the year about $200,000 in the red. During the first 24 days of July, the department had processed 122 applications for assistance, an extremely high number.

Several service stations in Lawrence were awaiting approval from their parent company to lower their gas prices. The price of a gallon of regular gas at independent stations was 25.9 on the morning of August 12, 1970.