Community works to solve woes of Music in the Park

Community works to solve woes of Music in the Park

January 31, 2002

By Katharhynn Heidelberg
Journal Staff Writer

Members of the Basin Concert Association and the Four Corners Community Concert Band, musicians and community members banded together Tuesday night to save Music in the Park, Cortez’s popular summer concert series.

The series, sponsored by the city of Cortez and formerly by the Piñon Arts and Humanities Alliance, faces suspension because of work overload and funding concerns.

Music in the Park’s expenses for 2001 were $4,248.50 and $4,700 for 2000, according to supporter Eleanor Kuhl. The city has steadily contributed $2,500 each year to the program, she said.

The alliance has received money from the city for the past five years, but members "are just getting worn out," said Chris Burkett, Cortez Parks and Recreation director. For Music in the Park, the devil is in the details, and those details have overwhelmed PAHA’s small staff.

Organizers must begin planning upcoming series as early as October. In January, they must contact potential business sponsors and arrange financial particulars. Organizers must also book bands and arrange for their payment.

After these details are hashed out, a whirlwind of continuous publicity activity follows. Organizers must then be available every Sunday afternoon between Memorial Day and Labor Day, when the concerts are held, to ensure that all goes smoothly.

"I just couldn’t do everything," said Ruby Motta Meredith on Wednesday. Meredith had acted as the contact person and coordinator of Music in the Park through PAHA, but quit in September.

"It’s one of the things I had to give up. Three people doing the whole thing — that’s quite a lot."

Despite the loss of Meredith and a tight city budget, "we really felt like we should give it another try," Burkett said.

The community members who met with him Tuesday agreed. Suggestions ranged from seeking grant funding to cutting the number of concerts, but no one present was willing to call it quits.

Paul Bostrom, a member of the Four Corners Community Concert Band, asked about continued grant funding. Music in the Park once received a grant from Qwest Communications, in addition to yearly local business sponsorships and contributions from the city.

"There are some possibilities" in that regard, Burkett said. "What they are at the moment, I don’t know." The group agreed to explore this option. It also is considering finding a non-profit organization to work through, or possibly forming a new non-profit for Music in the Park.

Kuhl and Janice Benton, both of the Basin Community Concert Association, offered the BCCA as a possibility in this regard, but weren’t sure if their parent organization, Community Concerts Ltd. of New York, would allow it.

Sue Maxwell, another Community Band member, suggested the Cortez Area Chamber of Commerce as a possible sponsor, citing the tourist appeal of previous Music in the Park concerts. Burkett agreed to approach the chamber.

"The city is willing to administer the program," he said. "I think we could work around the money issue. The real issue is getting people to do the work." He added that efforts needn’t rest on the shoulders of one person, but require a coordinated effort.

Bostrom asked if it might be possible to reduce the concert schedule to save money and volunteer exhaustion. Bostrom suggested cutting two concerts from the holiday weekends, when attendance is lower anyway.

Others suggested cutting the concerts from one per week to one per month, an idea that met with more resistance.

Turnout has been good, Kuhl said. Last year, the average attendance per concert was 203.8, with a total of 2,649 attendees for the entire series. The average attendance per concert in 2000 was 202.8 persons.

Benton said part of the reason for the good attendance was consistency — people knew to expect Music in the Park every week.

"If you cut it down to one a month, you might as well give up," she said.

Also, the number of concerts allows a greater variety of musical styles to be featured, Kuhl said.

Local musician Dennis Knuckles was interested in knowing why others wanted Music in the Park.

Bostrom cited the event’s community appeal. "Let’s take the question a step further. Why bother to have Fourth of July, craft fairs, or other things?"

Knuckles felt there could be greater community involvement. "I would like to see Music in the Park become a benefit event, as big a one as we can make it." He suggested allowing local non-profits, such as Hospice of Montezuma, to hold fundraisers with the concert as a backdrop.

"The city would not be averse to that," Burkett said, but said groups should be responsible for handling their own arrangements and coordinating with Music in the Park organizers.

Knuckles also posed the idea of a change in venue. The concert series is traditionally held in City Park, but sound problems abound, and weather is an issue. If the event were to move to the band shell at Parque de Vida, both problems would be eliminated, he said.

Meeting attendees have formed a committee to pursue ideas.

"We need someone who will take charge," Kuhl said." I hate to see Music in the Park die."

The committee to save Music in the Park will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, at City Hall. Anyone interested is welcome.