Friday night concerts are a go this summer, but the big concerts that draw thousands of people to Central Park are not.
The rock and country concerts, known for drawing in 5,000 to 7,000 people, along with many other park events, were cancelled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Warsaw Parks and Recreation Superintendent Larry Plummer told the Parks Board during their meeting Tuesday, “We are going to return to normal programming with safety in mind, but we’re going to try to bring our programs back. We worked hard on how we can run our programs and still be safe about it.”
He said they are still going to have the Friday night concerts as they did in 2020 during the pandemic.
“Just try to get as back to normal as possible,” Plummer said.
With that being said, he and Recreation Director Sheila Wieringa met with Mayor Joe Thallemer to discuss the major concerts for 2021.
“Going into that meeting, we knew that the Safety Fest was already cancelled. And with our discussions, we just felt that it wasn’t the proper time to have our major concerts yet. We just didn’t feel comfortable now to bring 5,000 to 7,000 people together in one area. Not only that, but there were some logistical things that we had to fight through – building availability, contracts,” Plummer said.
The contracts for the concerts were a big stumbling block because they had to be signed this month. If something were to come up and the concert were cancelled, Plummer said, “It could potentially lose $25,000 to $30,000, and I’m frugal with my own money, but I want to be frugal with taxpayers’ money, too. I don’t want to throw that out the window. So that was a big part of our decision.”
He said they feel the big concerts could start back up in 2022 with everyone vaccinated by then.
“But this year, we’re going to substitute with a couple more Friday night concerts in place of the rock and country one. I think the park will still be rocking, but just not with as many people,” Plummer said, noting the small concerts average about 215 people. “That’s kind of where we want to be. We’re just not ready for 5,000 to 7,000 people.”
With that being said, everything else is “going forward,” he said.
Rentals of picnic tables and saw horses, as well as building bookings, are taking place.
Board President Steve Haines said he agreed “100%” on the big concerts.
