This year’s Performances in the Park had the best attendance I have seen.
I believe we had 500-plus people coming out each and every night.
We were fortunate to be able to book around some big festivals such as Arts on the Fly, Arts Wells and others and secure fantastic national artists.
We extended one evening by one hour to accommodate two extra performers who were in town that day.
The audience feedback about the addition of vendors was very positive. Most people would like to see more next year.
Vendors were happy with the setup, as well.
While this is what the audience sees, this event would not be possible without our many supporters and sponsors.
Starting with the press such as The Tribune, Cariboo Country and the Goat and CaribooRadio who all willingly advertised and supported the event each and every week, and our business sponsors who provide a large part of the artists’ honorariums, the City of Williams Lake, Cariboo Regional District and the Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Society who provided support behind the scenes.
Then there were the wonderful people who took time out of their busy schedules to be the masters of ceremony making the evenings more fun.
I couldn’t do it without them. The Community Arts Council took up the call to provide entertainment for the kids for the second year in a row and hired two young women to run Art in the Park each Thursday night.
In addition to this there is Leah Selk at the Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Society who spends countless hours supporting me in the organization of the event.
I always say that this is a true community event, run by our community for our community. It takes a good 10 months of planning and organizing and the help and support of many different people and organizations to put on the eight nights in July and August. It has been my pleasure to once again coordinate Performances in the Park.
So while I am the face of the event there are many hands who make the work easy. Williams Lake is a truly fantastic community.
Angela Sommer of Angelkeys Music Studio has been the key organizer of this year’s Performances in the Park which wraps up this Thursday evening with the final concert of the season.