Lansing - As Smokey Robinson ended the third annual Common Ground Festival on a soulful note, organizers of the event at Riverfront Park already were looking forward to next year.
About 51,200 people are estimated to have attended the festival from Tuesday to Saturday. Figures for Sunday had not been estimated as of press time.
The festival brought a variety of acts such as classic rock bands Foreigner and Journey, hard rock band Skid Row, country singer Phil Vassar, R & B group Earth, Wind & Fire and Motown’s Robinson in a six-day medley designed to appeal to a wide audience.
“It was a lot of hard work putting this together,” Common Ground spokeswoman Melinda Larson said. “But all the signs are there to come back next year and have another successful event.”
The festival saw a 20-percent increase in attendance from its first year to its second, rising from 48,174 in 2000 to 58,326 in 2001.
Common Ground lost $99,284 its first year and $33,900 in 2001. Ticket sales figures aren’t yet available for this year, officials said.
“We’re about 7,000 people away from hitting last year’s attendance mark,” Larson said. “But we won’t know about an increase for sure until it’s all over.”
Numbers were the last thing festivalgoers cared about as they enjoyed the last day of concerts Sunday.
They were too busy getting free body-paintings, racing remote control cars, rock climbing, playing on the giant slide and taking their frustrations out at the gladiator joust.
The various activities were provided by Entertainment World, and company President Carl Rucker said the company’s plan was simply to provide safe, family fun.
“This is our third year providing fun activities that are socially acceptable and safe,” he said. “People will stand in line for hours to get the free body art. Parents with small children stand in line to get the children fake tattoos.
“This side of the festival is for the family fun.”
Lansing resident Carrie Miller was one of the many to partake in the fun, as she received a fake tattoo of tarantula on her chest, just below her neckline.
“I’ve seen people walking around the festival with five or six of them,” she said. “They just keep getting back in line for more.
“People have walked up to me and asked if it’s a real tattoo.”
Rucker said since many of the people attending this year’s festival have attended it before, they sometimes look for the same activities.
But music was the festival’s main attraction with a crowd-pleasing lineup Sunday that included The Grand Skeem, The Calling, Mud Crab Boogie Band, Global Village and the perennial favorite Robinson.
Each night of the festival featured a different genre of popular music.
After six days of attending the festival, Holt resident Eadie Harley said nothing compared to seeing Robinson.
“I’ve come to all the concerts,” she said. “But he’s the highlight of the event.”
Okemos residents Lewis and Norma Upchurch said they’ve never attended the festival before, but came out this year especially to see Robinson.
“I want to get him to autograph one of his albums from my record collection,” said Norma Upchurch, with Robinson’s 1982 album “Yes It’s You Lady” clutched in her hands.
“We’re impressed with all the other things going on.
“The first thing we noticed were the children all over and we’re thinking about bringing our grandchildren next year.”
Tanee Elston can be reached at elstonta@msu.edu.
