Live music could be returning to Hollinger Park this summer.
Tuesday, Peter Lawyrniw and Julie Cyr talked to Timmins council about bringing the popular weekly Summer Concert Series back in 2022.
Over the past 12 years, the series has been held 11 times. During the first year of the pandemic, it moved to a digital format and it was not presented at all in 2021.
“After a two-year hiatus from having music in the park and with the completion of the work in Hollinger, it would be great to see this series returning to the place where it all began,” said Lawryniw.
He is asking for $12,000 from the city to put on the series.
The price tag presented for each concert is $1,800 — bringing the total cost for the series to $18,000. PJ Production is covering $6,000.
Organizers are also asking the city for access to Hollinger Park, continued maintenance of garbage and bathrooms, promotion in city publications, electricity and alternate indoor accommodation if weather conditions are a factor.
Tourism Timmins is also being asked to have a presence at the series and gather community feedback, to help promote the series as it has in the past, to provide sample applications and other documents from previous series, and to cover accommodations for out-of-town artists. Lawryniw said there are usually two to three hotel rooms needed through the series.
During remediation work at Hollinger Park, the main series was moved to the Lions Club Park in Schumacher. Concerts were also held at Bannerman Park in Porcupine.
“We absolutely do plan to have even more avenues for locations next year. The reason why Bannerman Park wasn’t included in the presentation is because … normally that whole series is funded by the Bannerman Park committee,” said Lawryniw, adding he plans to approach the group.
Council was supportive of the request and the $12,000 has been added to the 2022 budget. Council has not approved the document yet.
