The whole thing started with a casual conversation between Beth Stringer and myself.

As a writer for Decatur Magazine, my “beat” was performing arts and included the local music scene. And while I usually found plenty of material, musical performances — with the exception of Municipal Band concerts — typically dried up a bit during the summer.

When I expressed my observation to Beth, she replied, “Why don’t we start some events in the summer, so you have something to write about?”

Yeah, right.

It was this encounter, however, that initiated a series of events ultimately leading to creation of the Blues in Central Park series.

Beth, of course, wasn’t just thinking about my writing dilemma. Rather, she was considering something more and was letting our conversation set her creative thoughts in motion. She began to envision a summer music series that would bring top performing artists to Decatur.

Soon after our conversation, Beth scheduled a brainstorming meeting with a group of interested individuals that included Megan Gresham Comerford and Jay Hartman. They decided that blues music would be the centerpiece, and Central Park would be the venue.

From that point, the group masterfully guided implementation of the Blues in Central Park project, and momentum grew as more people offered their support and enthusiasm. Finally, after a lot of hard work, everything was in place for the first Blues concert in the summer of 2001. Still, they all fought the nagging fear that the idea might not be right for Decatur. What — if after all this work — no one showed?

Happily, over 800 enthusiastic people packed Central Park that July night in 2001 to hear Howard and the White Boys. Decatur definitively showed itself to be a “blues town.”

In the ten years since, Blues in Central Park has become a summer highlight, providing thousands of people with the opportunity to party in Central Park and hear some first-rate blues artists for free.

The road has not been without potholes, however, as outdoor concerts always carry the uncertainty of bad weather. Blues in Central Park has been fortunate through the years, with only two concerts moved to Fairview Park due to threatening weather.

Beth relates this account of the first “rainout:”

“…in July 2006, Ana Popovich was scheduled for her sound check in Central Park at 5 p.m., and at 1 p.m. our sound guy decided there was too big a risk for thunderstorms. I called Bill Clevenger at the Park District. He offered the Fairview Park Pavilion, got approval from the park commissioners, and we moved the entire concert there in just three hours. Everyone rallied to help us, from Jim Kiefer with the Park District making sure we had electrical and WAND-TV announcing the location change on the 5 p.m. news, to Mueller Distributing printing and hanging banners in Central Park noting the new location. It was a hot, humid, rainy night, but we had one of our biggest crowds. Even by changing locations at the last minute, they found us. Now, those are loyal blues fans.”

Throughout the series’ ten-year run, responsibility for booking these great blues acts has rested squarely on the shoulders of Jay Hartman, marketing director for Miles Chevrolet. Jay does a fantastic job of booking some of the best up-and-coming blues artists and, since appearing in Decatur, some of these performers have gone on to do very impressive things. Lil Ed and the Blue Imperials has appeared several times on The Tonight Show; Joe Bonamassa recently sold out London’s Albert Taylor Hall, where he shared the stage with Eric Clapton; and Popa Chubby regularly plays to packed houses all over Europe.

In celebration of Blues in Central Park’s 10th anniversary, Beth and Jay are bringing back three special blues artists — those most requested by Decatur Magazine readers and blues fans. On Thursday, June 17, Chicago blues guitarist Ronnie Baker Brooks, who performed here in 2004, returns to the Central Park stage. He’s followed by Kim Massie, a 2008 performer, on Thursday, July 15. And on Thursday, August 19, The Groove Hogs (2003) bring their burnin’ nine-piece horn band to town.

Concerts run from 7 to 10 p.m., and are free to the public. Come early, though because food and beer vendors open at 6 p.m.
You won’t want to miss a single concert. And, when you’re there, don’t forget to thank Beth Stringer, Jay Hartman, and all those who have worked tirelessly to make Blues in Central Park such a great Decatur tradition.

Contributor Randy Reyman is a Professor of Trumpet and Director of Jazz Activities at Millikin University. You can find him sitting in his lawn chair at Blues this summer...

For more info on the 10th anniversary Blues in Central Park series, click here.

This article originally appeared in the April / May 2010 issue of Decatur Magazine.
It may not be reproduced or redistributed in whole or in part without the publisher's consent.
© Copyright 2010 Decatur Magazine - First String Productions. All rights reserved.