Kentwood, Byron Township make sure the beat goes on

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Max Colley III kicks of the Sounds of Summers music series on July 2.

While the major names — Grand Rapids Symphony and the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture — have announced cancelling their summer concert season, two local municipalities, the City of Kentwood and Byron Township have decided to make sure the beat goes on.

“We know that people really look forward to this,” said Byron Township Supervisor Tom Hooker about the annual Sounds of Summer concert series. “We just felt this was an opportunity for people to get out and look forward to something that was different.”

The township sponsors the annual Sounds of Summer which is scheduled to take place in July at Cutler Park, 6701 Cutler Park Dr. SW. Hooker noted that the township selected the location as it provides a special event for those living in the township’s northern corner.

“It was to my surprise that they decided to move forward,” said Patty Williams, a longtime WKTV volunteer who organizes the annual event. “I was contacted in March that the budget had been approved and the performers are really excited to come.”

This year’s Sounds of Summer will feature Max Colley III July 2, Jaded 8 July 9, Oat Bran Boys July 16, The Dusty Chaps July 23, and LWND July 30. All concerts start at 7 p.m. The concerts are recorded and aired on WKTV.

The Oat Bran Boys perform July 16 at the Sounds of Summer.

Both Williams and Hooker emphasized that social distancing guidelines will be put in place with residents encouraged to be six-feet apart from non-family members. Williams said the event also will be dedicated by executive orders on the size of gatherings. Currently, only gatherings of 10 people are allowed, however it does appear the state may be moving to Stage 5 of the reopening plan which would increase the number of people at gatherings. Stage 6 would allow for any size gathering.

“I’m kind of excited because we may be one of the only fun events taking place which means we might see people who have never come before,” Williams said, adding that with the number of outdoor concerts cancelled she is expecting larger crowds than normal.

Kentwood announces it plans to host its summer concerts in July. (WKTV)

City of Kentwood

In its June newsletter, the City of Kentwood announced it would be hosting its Summer Concert Series on select Thursday nights in July with some modifications to ensure physical distancing during the events. The concerts will take place behind Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Ave. SE. Appropriate distanced areas will be marked for residents to safety enjoy the shows.

The Kentwood Summer Concerts will be livestreamed by WKTV for those who like to watch from their home. City staff will monitor public health guidance and state orders, which may cause changes or postponement of upcoming events or programs. Dates and times for the concerts and other details will be announced on the city’s website.

A Quieter Summer

“Usually we are announcing the upcoming summer concerts but all we have been doing is telling people what has been postponed, delayed or cancelled,” said John Sinkevics, owner and publisher of the online local music site Local Spins.

For the past couple of months, concerts organizers have been announcing decisions to cancel outdoor performances. The latest being the Lowell Sizzlin’ Summer Concert series. There were events, such as the annual Grand Rapids Jazz Fest that had taken the year off due to planned remodelling work at Rosa Parks Circle, but now that work also has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There is going to be a lot of human costs, a lot of financial loss,” Sinkevics said, adding that many had to look at not only ticket sales but being able to get together to plan the events. That was the case of the Festival of the Arts this year, which announced that due to the restrictions in the spring, volunteers could not meet to plan out the event. The ripple effect has been a lot of musicians who will not be playing this summer.

“Hopefully conditions will improve,” Sinkevics said. “Regardless, the way we attend something is going to be different. The way we came together, packed in, surfing people, that has all been blown out of the water.”

In the past, concerts seemed to compete with each other for audiences and those who plan on hosting events in July might find themselves competing with delayed graduation events.

Sinkevics said he thinks fall will be even more interesting as some organizations have promoted hosting events in the fall. One such group has been the City of Wyoming which after announcing cancelling its summer concert series mentioned the Wyoming Community Enrichment Commission, which organizes the concerts, was looking at the possibility of having a concert in the fall.

And there are outdoor concerts taking place, Sinkevics noted. Just recently, Local Spins featured a concert at Grand Rapids’ The Score and provides a weekly list of live and virtual concerts taking place around West Michigan. But as the name of that list, “The Not-So-Big List,” indicates, the 2020 summer concert selection is just going to be smaller this year than in the past.