Party in the Park…Save your Sundays ” it looks like there’s a party that day up in Kate Sessions Park from now ’til the end of August.
It’s time to dig out the picnic supplies and kick off your flip-flops for dancing on the grass. Why? The PB Town Council’s annual four-week Concert on the Green series runs from 4 to 6:30 p.m., beginning Sunday, July 20, with Theo & The Zydeco Patrol.
But first, the PB Rec Center kicks off this Sunday with its “Celebrate the Family” event. From noon to 4 p.m., kids can enjoy a slip and slide and games, courtesy of PB Rec workers, volunteers and Friends of Kate Sessions Park.
There’s also a reggae band, says rec center Director Richard Crider.
Dancing on the Hill… I could just picture the huge crowd, maybe 100 people, dancing on the hill at Kate Sessions, with the panoramic city view below. When, exactly, did the Concerts on the Green begin?
PB historian John Fry and I both guessed 1987, for PB’s Centennial. Wrong! Digging in my old Calendar magazine files (which I published from 1982-90) revealed an August 22, 1982, event””for America’s Finest City week. From ’82 to ’90, bands ranged from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Band to Mesa College Concert Band and a crowd favorite, Harvey and the 52nd Street Jive.
The Concerts were sponsored by the PB Town Council, with the city supplying stage, sound system and publicity for America’s Finest City week.
No one seems to recall when the concerts stopped (perhaps when AFC week died?), but in 2002, four PB Town Council members decided to revive them. Recalled PBTC director Rose Galliher, “We met in Discover PB’s office with Point Loma concert organizers and they were very helpful.” Coincidentally, Discover PB’s then-executive director Shelley Miller was a neighbor of organizer Bridget Wear.
In 2003, Rose, Marjorie Kirby, Georgina Smith and Maggie Johnston lined up bands, rented equipment and worked closely with San Diego Park and Rec area manager Eileen Turk. “She was so supportive,” Rose said, “and helped us fill out permits.”
Each summer, PBTC board members pitch in. They set up tents and tables and pass the hats that President Ruby Houck designed. Last summer, Jerry Hall created concert T-shirts. Georgina Smith has been chief organizer, seeking donations and handling details.
Discover PB is a supporter. The PB Community Foundation once contributed from its Block Party proceeds; currently it accepts concert donations under its nonprofit, 501(c)(3) designation.