The Ceres Concerts in the Park have featured a variety of special events throughout the years, such as car shows with vintage hot rods. One concert is Public Safety themed, giving our residents an opportunity to meet with police and fire personnel, learn more about the officers' and firefighters' jobs, and explore the emergency vehicles and equipment. Agricultural night has featured a farmers market and petting zoo. On Kid's night, free crafts and activities are provided for families. Each evening, you can find several city officials and staff available to speak to. Live bands have been a big hit in the past, and the public has enjoyed occasions when children are able to showcase their talent. These concerts, which have been going on since the early 1990s, run a course of six weeks, usually beginning the second week of June and ending in mid-July. The events begin at 6:30 p.m. and conclude around 8 p.m.
The Concerts in the Park series is a very low-cost production with much of the labor and support coming from volunteers and staff from the Ceres Recreation and Facilities departments. These events have traditionally been held at Whitmore Park, where there is ample parking and it is close to city equipment and resources. At the same time, Highway 99 causes a lot of noise interference, making it difficult to hear speakers and music. There does seem to be room for improvement, whether the issue is noise, location or the type of entertainment offered. We believe that attendance can be greatly improved without increasing costs, and at the same time, community volunteers can be even more involved in the planning and set-up for the Concerts in the Park events.
As we are planning for this summer's events, we would like to take into account what members of the community would like to see at upcoming Concerts in the Park. The City Council will be considering, among the many options, whether to move the venue to the newly acquire Whitmore Mansion, Smyrna Park or one of the other public recreation locations within our community. The sale of food and drinks may be one of the additions to be considered, as well as possibly changing the day of the week, times and the length of each concert.
Once city staff has formulated options to improve the Concerts in the Park, we will present them to the City Council for their consideration. It is important to us, however, that we hear from the community about ideas and suggestions that might help to make this program the best it can be. So, we would sincerely appreciate hearing from you in person, via email or through phone calls. The lead staff person for this program is Cambria Pollinger, who may be reached by calling 538-5782 or via email: cambria.pollinger@ci.ceres.ca.us. Please do not hesitate to contact her or any other member of the city staff with your comments, suggestions, and feedback to ensure the success of our Concerts in the Park series this summer.
