Project Grant

The outcome for Music in the Park is that the event provides a completely free great opportunity for residents of Minnesota to enjoy some of the local artists and musicians in a beautiful outdoor setting during our wonderful Minnesota summer evenings. This event will provide an opportunity for residents of Big Lake and many surrounding communities, including all age groups, to get engaged with their neighbors, outdoors, parks and lakes. It will provide an opportunity to not only listen to the great artists, but also to sing and dance. This will be such a fantastic event for families to come out and enjoy together, no matter what financial constraints may exist in a struggling economy. At the end of the season it will be very rewarding to hear from the local communities that this was a wonderful event which brought many families, neighbors and communities together, and they can’t wait to attend next year. Artists will perform at Lakeside Park in Big Lake, Minnesota. This park provides a great atmosphere and will create long-lasting memories. Lakeside Park will provide a stage for the artists to perform on, many mature trees to provide shade and a woodsy atmosphere, picnic tables, grills, shelters, a large grassy area to set up chairs and blankets for people to view the stage, and a large grassy area for audience participation and dancing. Lakeside Park also provides a park where the grass is mowed and always kept green by irrigation, contains permanent restrooms with hot and cold water, a beautifully maintained swimming beach, boat launch and beach area where boats passing by can pull up to shore and listen to the music. Lakeside Park has a large parking area that can park up to 500 vehicles, food stands, and Farmers Market. The outcome of this event has already been successful in 2013. In the spring of 2013 a group of individuals and the City of Big Lake volunteered their time and organized the first Music in the Park event for the summer of 2013. All the costs to hire the musicians to perform were paid for by donations solicited by the volunteers. The first Music in the Park was held Thursday, June 6, 2013 and every Thursday evening thereafter, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. through August 29, 2013 (excluding the 4th of July, 2013). Up through the last performance on August 29, 2013, the feedback from the community has been overwhelmingly positive and participation has been very successful. Adults, children, and a group of local disabled adults all have been singing and dancing to the music. There even have been visitors from out of the United States enjoying Music in the Park. On average, approximately 600 people each Thursday evening have enjoyed this Music in the Park event in 2013. To experience and see firsthand how the surrounding community has come together at all of these musical performances is very gratifying and is a clear indicator that it is very important that this Music in the Park event must continue. Additionally, as this Music in the Park continues, this will eventually lead into other opportunities for other artisans to display their crafts, i.e. paintings, drawings, pottery, carvings, weavings, etc. In working together, the City of Big Lake and Legacy Foundation of Big Lake want to continue to provide an opportunity for artists and musicians to perform in Big Lake. It is difficult for local businesses to continue their generosity with donations to this Music in the Park event. This is why funding assistance is critical to keep this extremely successful event continuing into the future.Music in the Park will be evaluated by conducting a vehicle count at each performance. We are able to conduct a vehicle count as there is only one entrance/exit to Lakeside Park. Also a head count will be conducted at each performance. In addition to the head count, Legacy Foundation of Big Lake and the City of Big Lake will have a Facebook page for the audience to comment. The City of Big Lake also has a website where people can leave their comments. Audience engagement will be measured informally by audience response.