Businesses resurrect Sunday concert series in Heart of the City
Sandra Schlaefer of King and Cos. is a driving force behind this summer’s Sunday-night concert series at Nicollet Commons Park, shown here. Photo by John Gessner
by John Gessner
Thisweek Newspapers
Three Burnsville businesses are resurrecting a concert series that will make summer weekends last a little longer.
The Sunday-night Heart of the City Music in the Park series kicks off on June 19 with the School of Rock Road Crew. It will continue on consecutive Sundays through Aug. 14.
Organizers have assembled an adventurous lineup of Twin Cities talent, with sounds ranging from hard rock to classic jazz to “newgrass.”
All shows are at 7 p.m. at Nicollet Commons Park in Burnsville’s Heart of the City. Admission is free.
“It’s a great way to not only promote, but to entertain our community in our back yard,” said Sandra Schlaefer, president of King and Cos., an employee benefit firm and independent insurance agency located at Nicollet Plaza in the Heart of the City.
Schlaefer, who also lives in Burnsville, got the ball rolling after inquiring with the city about promotional opportunities tied to events at Nicollet Commons Park.
Sunday-night concerts at the park date back to 2006, when the board of the Lake Alimagnet Center for the Arts used a small portion of its allocation of city funds to sponsor a series.
But the city closed the center in 2009 amid budget cuts, taking with it funding for the concert series. There was no Sunday series last summer.
“We couldn’t be happier that it’s back,” said J.J. Ryan, Burnsville’s recreation and facilities superintendent. “It’s a great way to wrap up the weekend, in my view.”
The city’s contribution is making the park available, Ryan said.
Joining King and Cos. as organizers are Creative Color, a graphic and print studio in Burnsville, and the Burnsville location of the School of Rock.
Creative Color is producing fliers and the concert series banner that will be displayed on the arbor over the stage area at Nicollet Commons Park, Schlaefer said.
School of Rock instructor Melody Mendis lined up the acts.
“Only us three together would be able to do this, because we all have different strengths,” Schlaefer said.
Mendis, who teaches vocals at School of Rock locations in Burnsville and St. Paul and will direct the Preschool of Rock program launching in September, drew on her extensive contacts in the Twin Cities music scene.
Select School of Rock students who perform as the School of Rock Road Crew will kick off the series on June 19.
“That’s an auditioned School of Rock band, and they’re fantastic,” said Mendis, who once sang professionally with the Detroit Opera Company.
Her own band, Melody and the Dramatics — which Mendis describes as a fusion of jazz, rock, Latin and soul — takes the stage on July 10.
Other performers include contemporary folk trio Lingua Luna, which Mendis said has a “newgrass” vibe; Time Turners, an old-school country duo; jazz singer Alison Lund, who will be backed by indie-popsters the Queen of France; veteran Twin Cities jazz vocalist Lee Engele; and the grunge era-influenced Space Hazards.
“It was really fun programming it because I love bringing out the local talent, creating just an eclectic fusion of different styles so there’s something for everyone,” Mendis said.
Organizers are seeking business sponsors for individual evenings. Sponsorships are $100 for businesses that participate in a Heart of the City e-marketing program and $150 for other businesses, Schlaefer said.
Sponsors that signed on early are Milio’s in the Heart of the City (also the licensed food vendor in Nicollet Commons Park) and Burnsville-based Pawn America.
The money will go to the bands.
“It’s really pennies,” Mendis said, “but it’s good exposure for the bands and really great for Burnsville to have live music.”
The lineup is:
June 19 — School of Rock Road Crew
June 26 — Lee Engele
July 3 — The Space Hazards
July 10 — Melody and the Dramatics
July 17 — Time Turners
July 24 – Lingua Luna
July 31 – Q The Clique
Aug. 7 — Crack In The Damn
Aug. 14 — Alison Lund and the Queen of France
John Gessner is at burnsville.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.
