Just strolled back from the Collar City Live Concert down in Riverfront Park. The Lustre Kings put on quite a show. As did Vehicle last night in Powers Park, where the 50/50 was over $1,200. That is a staggering number. That series has really grown since we first introduced it a few years ago.
The free concerts and festivals are an aspect of my administration that may sometimes get overlooked, but are so vital to the community. For us, it all started in 2004 with the reintroduction of the River Street Festival. Whereas previously, the City had let a successful event die, we thought it would be wise to capitalize on the growing community around River Street and give me an opportunity to rediscover Troy. With the help of some local merchants, namely Dana Rudolph, we resolved to bring back a festival that an entire family could enjoy.
In recent years we have expanded the boundaries slightly and picked the music up a notch, and it really has become a destination festival. All you have to do is take a look at some of the sights from that day and you can see people are having fun.
And while the River Street Festival is the largest of the summer events, there is no shortage of variety. As of right now, there are summer music series on Sunday (Collar City Live), Tuesday (Friends of Prospect Park), Wednesday afternoon (Collar City Live), and Saturday (Powers Park). Best of all, each of these is FREE, and paid for by various sponsors, and put on through some extensive volunteer work by a number of people.
As our City continues to grow, we hope to add more music, arts, and crafts events. It is a wonderful way to showcase both our beautiful City and talented residents.
If you have any questions or comments, I love both, please e-mail me at info@harry4troy.com
Hope you had a great weekend,
Harry
