Jammin’ on the Square

Tunes get rolling as annual

Thursday, June 03, 2004

Two friends sat on a bench eating strawberries and drinking water, and two boys chased each other around a tree. An elderly couple danced around the park, and a few old friends caught up on the sidewalk. Hundreds of people from the area came to Fountain Square Park on Wednesday for the Downtown Redevelopment Authoritys first summer concert of its 25th annual Concerts in the Park series. Arthur Hatfield and Buck Creek, a bluegrass band based in southcentral Kentucky, entertained the crowd with well- and lesser-known bluegrass tunes. We always have a good time here, and its always a good crowd, said Ricky Burch, who plays mandolin and fiddle for the band. We hadnt played here in a few years, so when they called, we thought wed come down and play. Although two of the band members, Gary Minor and Johnny Day, could not play at the park because they were working, Amanda Everett and David Roemer stood in for them. Its always good to play for a crowd that really enjoys bluegrass, Everett, the bassist, said. CJ Johanson, special projects coordinator with the DRA, said Buck Creek is the first bluegrass group to play during the concert series in a few years. The goal of this is just to bring people downtown, Johanson said. We want people to come down here to enjoy themselves, and that is really what downtown Bowling Green is really all about bringing people together. Johanson estimated that 750 people attended the concert. As Buck Creek entertained the crowd, a small group of children from Bowling Green Christian Academy entertained themselves by dancing to the music. I like it because I get to dance, Kayla Faesel, 6, said, between bites of ice cream. I take ballet classes. Kayla said she wanted to come back to another concert this summer. Paula Bennett, director of extended care at the academy, said she plans to bring the group to the concerts every week. They really enjoyed this one, Bennett said. They like to sit out in the fresh air and hear the music. The 13 kids from BGCA had a picnic lunch before they each ate a bowl of ice cream. Kyda West, a co-chair for the event, said she has helped organize the concerts for the past four or five years, and is encouraged to see the increasing support. I like it because there are so many (ages) here, West said. We have kids from 1 and 2 to elderly people. It just seems to appeal to everyone. Evelyn Page, 82, and her daughter Anne Scott, 66, both of Morgantown, sat on a bench near the edge of the park to talk and listen to the music. I used to come here to the park when I was a child, and then I brought my own children here, Page said. There are just so many memories here for me. Im glad to see so many people here. Ginny French of Bowling Green brought her two children, Megan, 10, and Christopher, 4, to the park for the afternoon. I guess we just decided to picnic today, and I figured wed just come down here for some shade and to listen to the music, French said. Plus, we get to see a lot of people from our church. Heather Watt, the second co-chair of the event, said she was happy to see so many people at the park. This just gets bigger and bigger every year, she said. Its wonderful to have such great community support. Were looking forward to our biggest and best concert season. Tony Scott of Firehouse Pizza, one of the food vendors at the concert, said the concert series is a great way to bring people together. I think its just wonderful, he said. It just shows you what a great community Bowling Green is. I wish we could do this every day. The concerts are each Wednesday in June from noon to 1 p.m., and switch to Fridays in July from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.  Daily News ·813 College St. ·PO Box 90012 ·Bowling Green, KY ·42102 ·270-781-1700