Eight concerts were planned for Williams Park this year, but event coordinators are now funneling their energy into a long-term vision for the park to host events, ensuring continued use of the 4.3 acres.
The Williams Park Music Initiative, which is seeking a non-profit entity through the St. Petersburg Chambers of Commerce, is set to sign the last week of June. The Backline Music Group of Tampa organized two events at the park earlier this year, but is now focusing on leading the businesses in the community to make Williams Park a music destination.
“I had people tell me concerts won’t work in that park, but 6,000 people proved otherwise,” said Kevin Lilly, operations manager for Backline Music Group, referring to the attendance at the two concerts held earlier this spring.
The initiative coordinators are asking 30 to 40 companies to donate $1,000 each. The money would go to revamping electricity in the park, granting stimulus funding for events coming through and permanently gating the perimeter of the park.
“Williams Park as a music destination might surprise some residents,” Lilly said. “Most people’s perception is that it’s the homeless people’s park, and don’t want to go there.”
An ordinance against sidewalk sleeping reinforced in 2011 has recently shrunk the presence of the homeless downtown. The change was glaring at Williams Park. In a plan to reduce homelessness for Pinellas County report, the number of homeless “hanging out” in the park dropped from 85 people in 2010 to less than 12 in July 2011.
The park is also the hub for the PTSA bus transit, but the city’s Community and Redevelopment Agency is searching for a new facility to house it.
Festivals, outdoor concerts and productions are frequent in St. Petersburg, filling Vinoy Park, Demens Landing and Straub Park, Lilly said.
“None of them are at the one that has a stage,” he said, referring to Williams Park. The stage available there could save coordinators upwards of $5,000 in lieu of having one built at the other locations.
Will Erickson, a local alternative country music artist, played at Williams Park in March. Headlining was Grammy-nominated rock band Tonic.
“I think Williams Park definitely can now be considered a music venue,” Erickson said. “A lot of people were real impressed.” Erickson noted the sound system was the best he’d ever worked with.
The spring concerts were free, with VIP seats available closer to the stage. Sister Hazel headlined at Williams Park on April 28, drawing about 4,500 people despite the rainy weather.
While the initiative plans to launch next month, the park is now home to the Williams Park Summer Market for the second summer in a row, which is a smaller version of the Saturday Morning Market.
“The market scales down from 135 vendors to 50 in the summer,” said Gail Eggeman, the market’s manager.
Eggeman recalls spending Friday evenings last summer picking up trash at Williams Park to ready it for consumers and vendors the next morning. The market used to have a small-scale Wednesday market focused on lunch, but was canceled because people who hang out at the park were “drinking, falling and throwing up in the grass,” Eggeman said.
Eggeman, who worked downtown for years, said she always loved the park. Similar to Lilly, she’s quick to address the stigma it carries. Lilly says that could change this year, if downtown works to make a music initiative.
“The squeaky wheel hits the grease,” he said.
Photo by Christopher Guinn
