Featured Story
Sun sets on successful summer concert season
08/24/2012
On Aug. 23, a beautiful Thursday summer night, hundreds of fans at Raleigh Park danced to the alt-country sounds of the Freak Mountain Ramblers.
Park neighbors and music aficionados were taking advantage of their last chance to enjoy the 10-event Concerts & Theater in the Park series, which organizer Debra Fife called “the most successful” in its nine-year history.
“The biggest reward for me is seeing 50-100 people dancing in front of the stage like summer is never going to end,” said Fife, who estimated more than 10,000 people attended one (or more) of the eight concerts and two theater events.
The series was headlined by the Aug. 11 “Groovin’ on the Grass” concert featuring Los Lobos, a show that drew 4,300 guests to the Park District’s HMT Recreation Complex.
Soon she will begin the difficult task of pinpointing a handful of bands for next year’s series from among the 300-600 submissions she receives each year. In addition to local and regional bands, Fife said she hopes to once again book a nationally touring act to headline the “Groovin’ in the Grass” show.
She is already getting a head start.
“I’m listening to regional acts, in particular those that fit a niche market that maybe we’ve missed,” Fife said. “For example, we didn’t have a lot of Latin Jazz or cumbia music, so I’ve been working with Latino stakeholders who are introducing me to bands we don’t know.”
Bands seeking consideration for the 2013 Concerts & Theater in the Park schedule should send a promotional packet to the attention of Debra Fife before Feb. 1, 2013.
Debra Fife
Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District
15707 SW Walker Rd.
Beaverton, OR 97006
The 2013 Concerts & Theater in the Park schedule is expected to be completed and announced by the end of May 2013.
