As has been the tradition since 1967, all shows remain admission-free, but financial donations, which help it remain free, will be collected at intermission of each performance as volunteers pass the hat.
>> See the complete Summer Arts Festival lineup
SAC executive director Tim Rowe said the Arts Festival is such a part of the community that people will call as early as November to find out which acts are coming in order to plan their summer vacations around them as those plans are often discussed over the holidays with relatives.
“This festival we do has the heart of this community,” Rowe said. “This is what you do in the summer here. It has to do with a variety of entertainment, but also predictable in a comfortable outdoor environment that is centrally located and the quality of acts is high.”
The series will begin with the Youth Arts Ambassadors’ production of “Disney’s Newsies, Jr.” from Wednesday through Friday. A longtime festival tradition, Jimmy Buffett tribute Parrots of the Caribbean and the Parrothead Party in the Park will be Saturday and KidsFest on Sunday, June 18.
KidsFest will take a different approach this year, returning to Veterans Park Amphitheater, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., after several years at the Springfield Museum of Art, which is undergoing renovations.
With only a three-person staff and a 26-member board, preparing the festival is a huge task, trying to secure popular acts, adapting to changing artist demands and dealing with whatever issues may occur.
One fresh twist will come June 22-24 with Wine, Women and Waterloo Weekend. Each of the three nights will begin at 6 p.m. on the park’s East Terrace with special wines and beverages, activities, contests and trivia. Shows will include a new act, Simply Spice: The Spice Girls Tribute on June 22; the return of the popular Material Girls tribute to famous female performers on June 23; and the return of ABBAmania Canada on June 24.
“We had a great response to ABBAmania and Material Girls last year, and the Spice Girls act was suggested to us. We saw their video and planned a whole weekend around these acts,” Rowe said.
Another new weekly offering is Skyline Wednesdays at 6 p.m. featuring a range of menu items from the chain.
While a lot of the tributes are geared at pop and rock acts from the 1970s and ‘80s, the SAC tries to program groups like Simply Spice and added another new ‘90s tribute, The Ten Band: Tribute to Pearl Jam. Rowe listened to a comment that a lot of men in their 30s and 40s are fans of Pearl Jam, and while tributes from more recent years are fewer, he programs them when he can.
Resurrection: The Journey Tribute has been among the best-attended shows for the past several years and will return along with Queen Nation: A Tribute to the Music of Queen, Elton Rohn: North America’s Premiere Elton John tribute and others.
“People will ask us when is Journey coming back, not Resurrection,” Rowe said. “A lot of the musicians in these tributes are as talented as a lot of the musicians who travel with these celebrities since not all original members remain. Tributes make it affordable for an evening of popular music to a large part of the community.”
While popular, these are also among the most expensive shows to program. The festival goal is again to raise $60,000 during the nightly pass the hat intermission collection of voluntary donations. Rowe said the organizers appreciate every cent and its importance in keeping the festival free.
“Our total estimated attendance is 82,000 people, and if everybody who attended nightly contributed a dollar each, it could be well above our goal,” he said.
The season will also include country rockers McGuffey Lane, which has three original members and has played the area for more than 40 years and toured nationally with big names including The Judds, the Allman Brothers Band and the Charlie Daniels Band. Springfield native Griffin House will do his annual show, the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company will return and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra will add variety to the schedule.
“Our festival’s goal is to be accessible to everybody, regardless of your station in life to enjoy the range of arts available,” Rowe said.
Lawn chairs can be set up the day of an event beginning at 6 a.m. and must be removed at the end of each performance. Concession stands will offer food and beverages.
There will also be 50 seats in the pit area in front of the stage available for $15 each beginning at 6:30 p.m. the night of a show and available at the welcome center.
All performances will begin at 8 p.m. except for KidsFest. Attendees are encouraged to monitor weather reports as some shows could be delayed or canceled due to inclement weather.
For more information on the festival, go to www.springfieldartscouncil.org/.
About the Author