Music in the Park Hitting Higher Notes
By MARY RAE BRAGG
News You can use Music in the Park will be held noon to midnight, Saturday, July 12, in Asbury Park, free admission.
ASBURY, Iowa – It’s an even dozen for Music in the Park.
Asbury’s popular annual event marks its 12th anniversary Saturday, providing family entertainment for a fan base that grows with each passing year, just like the community itself.
Music in the Park attendance swelled from around 50 its first year to near an estimated 3,500 in 2007, according to Scott Coleman, president of the Asbury Area Civic and Recreation Foundation. That’s while the U.S. Census Bureau was reporting Asbury’s population going from 2,450 in 2000 to an estimated 3,651 in 2006.
From a 45-minute concert by a string quartet, Music in the Park evolved through the years to a 12-hour festival in July.
Through the years it earned a reputation for being among the best free entertainment a family can have, thanks to complementary tickets for the kids’games and no charge to hear bands at night.
Throughout the day, parents bring in the kids to enjoy games and play on inflatables. Then, as the sun starts to set, the youngsters are taken home and the adults return for a night of live entertainment.
Coleman is lead singer for Hard Salami, the band that will be performing along with Badfish this year.
Helping organize the event as a foundation officer and taking part as an entertainer gives him multiple opportunities to make a difference and enjoy the rewarding feeling, Coleman said.
“If you’re going to live in a small community like Asbury, or even Dubuque, you have to give back to your community somehow,” Coleman said. “That’s how we can all enrich our lives, sharing our time and talents.”
The assortment of entertainment, games, food and beverage would not be possible without the numerous community volunteers who make things go, said Coleman, who also cited the support of a dozen or so business sponsors.
Originally published by MARY RAE BRAGG TH staff writer/ mbragg@wcinetcom.
(c) 2008 Telegraph – Herald (Dubuque). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.