After securing a grant, one Janesville individual’s efforts to have music in park during the summertime will happen without any cost to the city.
Paul Voges, of Janesville, with the help of the Janesville Park Board and City Council, has successfully applied for a $2,000 grant from the Prairie lakes Regional Arts Council. The grant will help pay bands that will perform at the amphitheater at Veteran’s Memorial Park.
Once a month from May to September, the city will host music in the park, with the five bands already picked out and dates set to play. Additionally, according to Voges, a sixth band is offering to perform at no charge. Voges is currently getting that sixth date scheduled.
The music in the park series is the first of its kind in the city, and it will be paid for by the money from the grant and donations from a handful of sponsors. Voges said that he is still working on some more sponsorships from local businesses, but the events are essentially paid for already.
“It is essentially paid for this year and I’m really expecting this to go well and be able to do it as an annual thing,” Voges said. “So any sponsorships I get over and above will strictly be kept in an account or however the city does it, and we’ll use it for next year so we can improve year to year.”
Voges is very optimistic for the event. He mentioned that his wife, who works as a paraprofessional in the JWP school district has heard that a lot of people are very excited for the event series.
Voges went to the Janesville City Council’s meeting earlier in the month and told the council the good news about the grant and his plans for the events.
“It’s coming along nicely and people seem to be genuinely excited about it,” said Voges.
To help advertise the event, Voges stated that there will be a Facebook page about it going up soon. In addition to the music in the park, the city is planning on having multiple vendors at the events.
“If organizations want to set something up like boy scouts or girl scouts want to come in and do something or the school band program wants to have a table or something, we’re open to all that,” said city council member Jim Mulcahey. Mulcahey is also on the city’s park board, who helped guide Voges through the planning process.
Vendors who plan on being at the events will have to have a vendor’s license, since it is on city property.
In addition to food trucks and other vendors, drinks will also be provided, with Infinity Catering serving alcohol at each event and root beer floats being provided. All of the proceeds of the floats, and “pass the hat” donations will go towards the city’s food shelf.
Joe Roeker, a member of the parks board, was present at the City Council meeting and mentioned that it would be beneficial if front street was closed so vendors could be set up there. Mulcahey said that was a great idea and City Administrator Clinton Rogers said the city could look into doing that.
The concert series will have its debut event on May 30 with In a Bind performing. In June, July and August, the events will take place on the fourth Thursdays in the month, and the final event will be on Sept. 19 (sixth date TBD). Each band will play from 5:30-8 p.m.
At the end of Voges’ discussion with the City Council, Mayor Andy Arnoldt wanted to thank Voges for leading the charge.
“I just want to make sure we thank Paul for really going the extra mile,” Arnoldt said. “I’ve heard a lot of talk about it in town, and everybody’s excited about it.”
BANDS PERFORMING The following bands are scheduled to perform under the pavilion at the amphitheater in Janesville’s Veterans Memorial Park this summer and fall: May 30 — In A Bind June 27 — GTX Duo July 25 — Another Time Around Aug. 22 — Generation Gap Sep. 19 — Family Tradition f165dcfe-9117-42fa-92cf-fa72e2336ae8
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