Big regional events don’t seem to put a damper on the Chamber of
Commerce’s Friday Night Music Series. About 500 people, on average,
attend the free downtown concerts to enjoy a cool, sunny evening of
music.
Morgan Hill – Big regional events don’t seem to put a damper on the Chamber of Commerce’s Friday Night Music Series.
About 500 people, on average, attend the free downtown concerts to enjoy a cool, sunny evening of music.
Children usually dance in the street with their parents and residents sit and relax on the western end of Second Street at Monterey Road.
The series, which is in its 15th year, has a number of sponsors including the Morgan Hill Times, Trendz Kitchen and Bath, Anritsu, Johnson Lumber, Rosy’s at the Beach, Santa Teresa Dental and Alain Pinel Realtors.
Margaret Till, 40, of Morgan Hill, recently came out with her husband to listen to some good music.
“I’ve always enjoyed coming out to these things,” Till said. “It gives me and my husband a reason to get out of the house and enjoy ourselves for a couple of hours. We work all week and this is our chance to unwind.”
Most concert-goers bring lawn chairs and blankets to sit on while dog owners sit in the back with their furry friends.
Bands that have been popular so far this summer have been the DADZ and Red Beans and Rice, according to concert-goers.
Patti Ronco, 35, of Morgan Hill, another concert-goer, said that she and her husband look at the weekly schedule before they come downtown.
“We usually look and see who is performing before we come out here,” Ronco said. “If it looks like a band that we like, we’ll come. But we usually come every other week though. It’s been so hot this summer, so just to get out of our house and into some fresh air is worth it.”
Ronco said that she and her husband also like to grab dinner downtown prior to a concert.
The series’ originator and organizer is Brad Jones, co-owner of BookSmart bookstore in downtown Morgan Hill.
His wife came up with the idea of holding weekly summer concerts and got help from the city’s Downtown Revitalization Project, which eventually merged into the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce several years later.
Jones said in present day, he has three or four volunteers who are responsible for everything, from closing off Second Street and setting up the sound system to tearing everything out when the bands are finished.
He said that the turnout so far this summer has been strong but not as strong as in recent years when attendance peaked at 800.
“We always want people to come down and have fun,” said Jones. “And the best part is that it is free. They can come down to our downtown area and have dinner and listen to some good music. That is our intention.”
The series has not only been a hit this summer with Morgan Hill residents, but with downtown merchants as well.
Elaine Stoddard, partner of Ragoots restaurant located at Third Street and Monterey Road, said that Friday night business has been steady.
“The weekly concerts haven’t really increased business, but beer, wine and dessert sales have gone up,” Stoddard said. “Normally we close at 9pm, but on Friday night we stay open until about 9:30 or 9:45pm so people can stop in and get a dessert or coffee.”
The Summer Music Concert Series will rock on for the rest of the summer, wrapping up Aug. 31 with the Road Dogs as the headlining act.
Jones said that there are plenty of good bands remaining on this summer’s schedule, and he is always looking for more volunteers help with the set-up and tear-down.
