Morgan Hill’s quaint Friday Night Music Series has been held at
Second Street and Monterey Road for 16 years, bringing scores of
people downtown to listen to music and enjoy some of the shops and
restaurants.
Event is for the community
Morgan Hill’s quaint Friday Night Music Series has been held at Second Street and Monterey Road for 16 years, bringing scores of people downtown to listen to music and enjoy some of the shops and restaurants.
But, the city’s Chamber of Commerce unanimously voted to move the series to the amphitheater at the Community and Cultural Center where it belongs – a smart move. The Chamber of Commerce is there to represent all businesses and the series is supposed to be a community-wide event, not just to raise revenue for downtown merchants.
Why the move makes sense
First, the venue has an amphitheater and is a great environment for this weekly summer event.
Second, some downtown merchants decry the move, saying it takes the event out of downtown. They are wrong. The Community and Cultural Center is part of the downtown, as defined by the city’s Downtown Specific Plan.
Third, the venue gives the event the opportunity to grow. While about 100 to 150 people cram themselves onto Second Street, sometimes spilling onto Monterey Road, the new venue can easily accommodate 300 people with picnics spread out on blankets. And, according to Maureen Drewniany, the city’s recreation supervisor, it can hold as many as 1,000 – as it did for an Amy Grant concert last fall – and up to 2,500 if bleachers are brought in.
Finally, the new venue has real restrooms instead of port-a-potties, more room for dancing and plenty of parking.
So what are the downsides?
Some say people won’t walk the two to three blocks from the community center to the nearby shops and restaurants.
Why that may be partially true, let’s look at the math. If one in four stroll from the former site to frequent a nearby business, that’s about 40 people. If, say, one in five walk north after a concert that’s about 75 people, and if the event grows, which is likely in the new location, that number grows proportionately.
Let’s give the event a chance at the Community and Cultural Center. If it’s a terrible flop, it can always be moved back. But the thinking here is it will be a huge success, drawing even more people downtown.
