Arts & Entertainment

Success Shapes "Explosion of Creativity" at SummerWind

SS&C SummerWind's 2013 season boasts double the performances and a weekly Friday night show for the after-work crowd for just $5.

It was just one year ago that SS&C SummerWind, the self-proclaimed premiere outdoor concert venue in the region, took a risk and ditched the big name acts for local, family fun.

The risk paid off in more than one way.

Not only did the year provide the non-profit organization with the ability to grow its support from the grassroots level, it provided a foundation for the 2013 season; the most highly-anticipated SummerWind season in recent memory.

It’s a summer of firsts at the Day Hill concert venue. This summer’s schedule boasts twice as many acts as years past and, for the first time in history, entertainers will rock the night away on a SummerWind-owned stage, using SummerWind-owned lights and sound systems.

“That is a milestone of just incredible proportions in terms of the success of the organization,” SS&C SummerWind Executive Director Michael Campbell said of the venue's recent equipment purchase. “This is going to reduce our overhead for the long term and give us an opportunity to be a real force in the entertainment industry in the region.”

Campbell attributes SummerWind’s financial success to support from the community and “a combination of our development work through fundraising and expanding that reach to a very committed board of directors that has really helped us focus our mission and vision for the organization.

Focusing the organization’s mission and vision has led to a shift from its “Sundays at SummerWind” series — implemented last year as part of its shift toward local and family-oriented entertainment — to the presentation of this season’s $5 “T.G.I.F. Tickets” and a roll of Saturday night acts fit to headline any tour.

“T.G.I.F. Tickets” are a part of SummerWind’s new, work-crowd targeted series called “Fridays at Five,” which carries just a $5 cover charge.

“($5) gets you in the gate. We’ll have food and beverages, beer and wine; good beer and good wine,” Campbell said of the series featuring “high quality local and regional” bands.

“For everybody who’s in Windsor or on their way home to Windsor, the gate opens at 4:30 and at 5 p.m., (the band) is gonna play for a couple of hours. And if you’re on your way to another event, like the Tolcott Mountain Music Festival down in Simsbury, which plays on Friday nights, come stay with us for an hour or two and then go over there. How can you beat $5?” said Campbell.

The effort to provide high-quality, affordable entertainment to professionals looking for some happy hour-type fun heading into the weekend doesn’t mean, however, that SummerWind has ditched its family-fun atmosphere.
Since he began his work with SummerWind, Campbell said he’s lived by the mantra that “If it’s a summer weekend, there’s something going on at SummerWind.” And that includes families.

Saturdays (and one Sunday) are booked from June through August at the outdoor concert venue, featuring nationally and internationally-acclaimed acts. It’s all free for the kids (ages 17 ad under), and affordable for adults.
Keeping prices low, SummerWind is offering $15 and $25 tickets for adults, rain or shine because there’s a tent.

“We want to be the region’s premiere family-friendly place, so if you’ve got a boat load of kids and you want something to do, hear some great music and feed them all, (parents) can bring those kids in free through the door and enjoy the evening. How many places do that nowadays?” Campbell said.

Campbell described Saturday’s featured acts as “a variety of music, including country and jazz and blues.”

“We’re having this explosion of creativity at SummerWind this summer,” he said of the entertainment offerings, which includes Windsor’s own Big Al Anderson, a couple of up-and-coming, Connecticut-grown country songstresses and a free Sunday show featuring the United States Coast Guard Band.

Tickets for Saturday shows are currently on sale at SSCSummerWind.org. "T.G.I.F. Tickets" are only available at the door.

Click here to see SS&C SummerWind’s full schedule for the 2013 season.


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