The fourth edition of the annual “SKARTS ‘N the Park” free summer concert presented by the Skaneateles Area Arts Council was an overwhelming success Sunday, July 1, with beautiful weather including a bright full moon, a great local band and nearly 1,000 people in attendance.
“We had confluence of the weather, the moon, the music and the kickoff of summer. People were raving about it,” said Joe Strodel, SKARTS president. “We were delighted.”
The free concert by The Mere Mortals, sponsored by Cowleyweb, Sherwood Inn and the Skaneateles Press in Clift Park, was just another way for SKARTS to offer a cultural program to the Skaneateles community, Strodel said.
The mission of SKARTS is to celebrate the visual and performing arts by creating an environment where cultural activity thrives in the community. This is accomplished through cultural programming, the free concert series and by issuing community support grants to artists and arts organizations in the Skaneateles area.
There was an estimated 500 people on the grounds of Clift Park along with an estimated 400 people in about 50 boats anchored in the lake just off the park shoreline, making at least 900 people who attended the concert, according to a SKARTS count. Attendees ranged in age from toddlers up to retirees, many of whom were dancing to the music at various times throughout the two-hour concert.
The Mere Mortals, playing from a stage set up in the grass in front of the gazebo, played a few original songs but stayed mostly with the cover tunes they are known for by artists such as Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Sting and the B-52s.
“I thought it was a lot of fun. People had a good time; and we played about as well as we can play,” said Mere Mortals vocalist and keyboardist Win Price, who is also a Skaneateles resident. “The atmosphere was great, the weather was perfect and you just can’t ask for a nicer setting.”
Price said the sheer number of people at the concert also was “pretty impressive.”
Sue Dove, executive director of the Skaneateles Area Chamber of Commerce, also said she was impressed by the entire evening.
“The Mere Mortals concert was one of those nights where you are so proud to say that you live in Skaneateles,” Dove said. “Many thanks to SKARTS for bringing that one of a kind of experience to our residents and visitors alike.”
Jim Lanning, village resident as well as a member of the village board of trustees, said it was another successful community event by SKARTS that also had the added bonus of bringing some awareness to the crowd of “what SKARTS is and what they are trying to accomplish.”
“It was very well received. It wasn’t overly loud and it was a very enjoyable crowd,” Lanning said.
For more information on SKARTS, visit skarts.org.
Jason Emerson is editor of the Skaneateles Press. He can be reached at [email protected].
