Lakeport >> Tonight marks the beginning of 10 weeks worth of outdoor concerts, where anyone wanting an evening in the park can listen to the tunes of both local and traveling musicians in the setting evening sun. The 2015 Summer Concert Series, currently in it’s 28th year, is hosted by the City of Lakeport, produced by KXBX-FM 98.3 and made entirely possible by an ever-growing list of sponsors.
The Summer Concert Series is free of charge, and it owes its success to many local supporters, who set up booths at Library Park for audience members to browse during the shows. “The concerts are 100 percent funded by local businesses through our sponsors,” said Paul Thomas of KXBX. “Without our business support the concerts wouldn’t be possible.”
It’s not a one way relationship though. Concert goers often head out for shopping and food before or after a show, contributing to the local economy. “It brings a lot of people into our downtown area for the restaurants,” Thomas said. “So they’re spending their money locally here in town on concert nights.”
Thomas, who has been with KXBX for the past 11 years, has seen the positive reaction to the series. “Over the years it’s definitively grown in size in terms of crowd size and sponsor participation,” he said. “The biggest draw I think for the concerts is the location, which is Library Park, and it’s gorgeous.”
In addition to the lake’s picturesque setting, high numbers of people turn up for the shows thanks to its family-friendly vibe. “It’s all ages and everyone from zero to 100 comes out and enjoys the concerts,” Thomas said.
Frequency is also a plus. While some concert series are set up on a monthly basis, people can rely on a concert at the park often. “It’s a destination for people to go to on a weekly basis,” Thomas said.
Locals aren’t the only people who head out for the shows. Many of those who own second homes in the county make their way to Lakeport for the weekend when the series rolls around. “I think that the people that come from out of town know of the concerts and have been coming for a while,” Thomas said. “We have quite a bit of that, of weekend people coming up for the concerts.”
The series brings in talented local and out of the area musicians, each of whom must send in a demo CD and a bio. The organizers rifle through the submissions and pick musicians based on their style and when they last performed at the park. With this criteria, shows are guaranteed to entice audiences, no matter their tastes. “We have a lot of bands we rotate in and out throughout the years,” Thomas said. “We also like to make our selections based on the diversity of the genre of music.”
The turnout has as much to do with the quality of the performances as the price tag. “It’s a free event and you don’t get much for free these days,” Thomas said.
For the first time in 28 years, the series has something extra to add, which could draw an even bigger audience: food vendors. In the past, concert organizers wanted to keep the focus on sponsors, but over the years they’ve had so many requests for food stands that they decided to give it a try. Though they won’t be inside the park, a select number of vendors will set up around the perimeter.
While the event itself is not a fundraiser, for the past five years, KXBX has raised money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at each show. Attendees can buy raffle tickets during the first half of the performance, and at intermission winners are announced. Proceeds from the raffle go to the hospital. They raise close to $5000 each summer.
Tonight’s musician is rock and blues singer Brad Wilson. The show begins at 6:30 at Library Park in Lakeport.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
