Chairman of Summer in the Park John Strang was joined by Dee Adrian in announcing the 2015 concert bill in front of City Council on Monday night, where they revealed that Burton Cummings and Johnny Reid will be headlining this year's festival. PHOTO BY LIAM BERTI
The highly anticipated Summer in the Park lineup was unveiled in front of City Council on Monday night, where festival board members revealed what they hope will restore the festival’s prestige.
Festival chairman John Strang and Dee Adrian, entertainment chair, took to Council Chambers to deliver the bill for what has been called the “make or break” year for the event.
Headlining this year’s event is country singer Johnny Reid on Friday night and Canadian rock icon Burton Cummings the following night.
Other notable acts include Autumn Hill, Michelle Wright and Alan Frew.
Preliminary plans call for a two-night festival: one night of country music and one night of classic rock. Billed as an all-Canadian cast, Strang and Adrian said they are proud of securing a lineup they have been working on locking up since last October.
“You can be sure, as it stands, Summer in the Park is 100 per cent Canadian and it is certainly something to cheer about,” said Adrian. “What an exhilarating weekend of shows.”
With an entertainment budget of $220,000 and an overall budget of close to $500,000, the group has secured what they feel is top of the line entertainment that will pack the waterfront park on the August long weekend.
Cummings is the former lead singer and keyboard player for The Guess Who and is best known for songs American Woman, These Eyes, and Stand Tall.
Frew, on the other hand, is the lead singer for Glass Tiger and is a five-time JUNO Award winner, five-time Canadian Classic Award winner and a Grammy nominee, while Reid was named Male Artist of the Year by the Canadian Country Music Association in 2008 and 2009.
Wristbands for the weekend have already gone on sale for $25 advanced pricing, plus taxes.
Until June 30th - $35 plus HST
July 1st to Festival - $50 inclusive of HST
As Strang and Adrian pointed out on Monday, they believe the festival offers tremendous value, with acts like Reid, for example, headlinging a festival in the Manitoulin Island area the weekend after Summer in the Park for around $100.
“I challenge anyone in Ontario to find a better deal," Strang told council. "For $25, even if you’re not a fan of one genre, support the event and come out and have a good time."
Strang was quick to point out how pivotal the festival is as an economic driver in the city, stating that last year alone the event garnered $2.7 million in local economic activity.
“This year, we’re certainly looking at the festival as a strong economic driver again and we’re expecting with this lineup and $25 ticket sales, it could very well be a sell out,” said Jake Lacourse, president of the North Bay and District Chamber of Commerce.
The board members reiterated their goal of selling 10,000 wristbands for this year’s edition of the festival, which Strang said is very attainable.
The festival took a substantial hit earlier this month when they were denied funding from the Ministry of Culture Tourism and Sport and Celebrate Ontario, who awarded $19 million to 270 other festivals and events throughout the province.
Last year, that funding amounted to over $60,000, which they used for the beach volleyball attraction that was rumoured to have been one of the biggest highlights from the 2014 edition.
The chairman said this year’s grant would have gone to a similar attraction, which wasn’t accounted for in their regular budget.
Strang, though, remains adamant that the event will remain unhindered by the government’s decision.
"We never budget for grant money, so it has no financial impact on us," said Strang. "Does it have a planning impact? To a degree, but the component that we applied for was never solidified until we received grant money, so really it doesn’t have an impact.”
Earlier this month, Strang sent a stern message that the event could be in jeopardy if this year’s event is not successful.
But on Monday, the chairman said as far as he and his team are concerned, the bulk of their work is done; now it’s up to the public to make the event a success.
“With the price point being where it’s at, it’s now up to us as business owners and attendees to step up and buy our wristbands,” he emphasized.
“Step up and support it, especially if you want a festival of this magnitude in this area,” he added. “I can’t sugar coat it: we don’t want to be coming to council every year saying ‘we’ve lost money.’"
Strang vowed that organizers would sell a record number of wristbands last year. But in the end, the 2014 event resulted in a loss of approximately $45,000, which they will pay back to the city over the coming years.
“Ultimately when it comes down to it, it’s a line item in the budget for the city and our partnership might not be there as well [if it doesn’t do well],” said Lacourse
Based on last year's feedback, Strang said their biggest weakness was the price point and not having a country night on their schedule, which they feel they have confronted head-on with the advanced ticket price and the triple-bill country night.
In an attempt show their support, almost every councillor bought their wristbands from vendors who were in the audience after deputy mayor Sheldon Forgette said he was so excited that he wanted to buy his tickets on the spot.
Strang said local acts will also be added throughout the weekend as the event nears.
Wristbands are available online at the Capitol Centre and Summer in the Park websites, as well as in person at City Hall, various TD Bank locations, Canadian Tire, Parkers YIG Independent Grocer and the North Bay and District Chamber of Commerce.
What do you think? Is the 2015 lineup going to restore the festival to its old form and fanfare? What else (if anything) needs to be done?
@BertiLiam
