Annual concert series kicks off summer in E.L.

---

Tweet

As local schools close their doors for the season and the mercury in the thermometer rises, the city of East Lansing is starting up its annual Summer Concert Series on Friday — a sign that summer is officially here.

The Summer Concert Series will mark its 15th year this summer and has become a long-standing tradition in the East Lansing community. The series hosts a musical act Friday and Saturday nights during summer months. Unlike other city-funded programs that have seen budget reductions in light of the faltering economy, the Summer Concert Series has remained financially stable throughout its history. City officials attribute this to the series’ popularity with East Lansing residents as well as MSU students.

“For a lot of people it becomes their Friday or Saturday night,” East Lansing Communications Coordinator Ami Van Antwerp said. “You’ll see people coming from all different directions with their chair in tow, so you know that they’ve come for (the concert.)”

The concert series gets a portion of the city’s community events budget. The events budget for 2009-10 is almost $290,000, and includes all community events, such as the Moonlight Film Festival, Play in the Park and the Winter Festival.

Out of the $290,000, about $22,000 is allotted for this summer’s concert series.

The overall budget for the events fund has gone up in the last three fiscal years. For 2008-09, the budget was increased by $15,921 and the 2009-10 budget will increase by $3,830. Van Antwerp and events assistant Michelle Carlton both agree funding has remained stable for the concert series because of the positive response from residents and local businesses. Van Antwerp estimates that the concert brings in an average of 400 people to downtown East Lansing.

“Where we hold the concerts, it gets full,” said Carlton. “We can get up to 500 people scrunched in (a venue).”

The majority of the artists performing are local musicians. Wanda Degen, a local folk musician who will play in the series Friday, said she has been involved with the series since its inception and has seen how much it has grown since then. Degen and her Celtic Trio will play at the series’ first show Friday.

“We’re really lucky that people come and they have those venues,” Degen said. “I think it’s part of just the summer and being able to get out, and people enjoy bringing their families out.”

City officials encourage local artists to participate in the series because of the positive reaction from residents.

“We’re really trying to support local musicians in the area,” Van Antwerp said. “We actually get a better response when we find people from the local area.”

The concerts are performed in two downtown locations. Friday night shows take place at Fountain Square, on the corner of M.A.C. Avenue and Ann Street by the Marriott at University Place.

Saturday shows take place at the Ann Street Plaza, across the street from Fountain Square. Shows begin at 7 p.m and are free to the public.

---