Jazz in the Park - A different perspective

You'd think that since Jazz in the Park is put on every single Thursday during the summer that after the first few weeks, the crowds would begin to thin out. No such luck, though – I was there again this week and the crowd appeared to be even thicker than last week, if that's possible.

I still love Jazz in the Park, and even though I was there working on Thursday rather than there as a guest, I had a great time. I do think, though, that it's become one of those things that's slowly losing its appeal for some folks since everybody and their brother shows up to it now.

It's kind of like when a band slowly gains a following throughout its first years and then suddenly explodes onto the Billboard charts and gets super popular. Those original fans may feel put off and hurt, and like their band just isn't quite as cool as they used to be.

For organizers, vendors and sponsors, the popularity of Jazz in the Park is a great thing, obviously. But for patrons, it's not so great. I was down to the park by 4:15 Thursday with my banners and signage, and the entire grassy area in front of the stage was already full. That's crazy!

It'd be less crowded if it were held in a bigger park, but half of its appeal is that it's in the middle of downtown, so that's not a good option. I suppose there's no solution – as long as it's a free event, people will continue to swarm it.

Since I was able to people-watch from behind my table for four hours, I got to see how Jazz in the Park, like many downtown events, brings out the best of the best and the worst of the worst. I saw so many well-dressed, beautiful people walk by, and it made me proud of Milwaukee – I thought, hey, we're a city filled with some very pretty people! But of course there were more than a few crazies and walking faux pas to balance those people out.

I liked being able to talk to a lot of people as they came up to get their Blatz corkscrews, and I especially enjoyed being two tents down from the kettle corn guy. Every time there was a fresh batch of popcorn ready, I'd hear him ring his triangle, yell "Fresh batch of kettle corn!" and then bellow "Yeeeeee hawwww!" You can't help but smile upon hearing that!



He drew quite a crowd the whole night, and I finally had to go down and snap some pictures. I sampled some kettle corn from a few people's bags at my table and it was sweet and delicious – I'd never had kettle corn before.

I also met some nice guys – Dave and Jason – who kept Grace and me company for much of the night. I told them I'd give them a shout-out on here! J

I might take a few weeks off from Jazz in the Park now, especially with Summerfest starting next week and then Bastille Days coming up after that.

I'll certainly be back yet this year though, probably a few more times. Crowds and crazies aren't enough to keep me away from what's still a pretty fantastic summer event.

Comments

[Dj]

Check out River Rhythms instead. The park (Pere Marquette) is larger, the bands more eclectic, and it hasn't gotten quite so large yet..... though I'm sure that's in the future as well.

[Andre]

I forgot about this post. The picture of the black chick behind you in the first photo is awesome.

[Christi]

Okay, I swear that the girl in the second picture, in the lower right hand corner is Erika Schulz!!! =)

I'm bored at work, so I'm people watching through your pictures.