Editorial
Front Page - Friday, May 14, 2010
Nightfall returns for free summer sounds and local economy boost
Erica Tuggle
Nightfall, a Miller Plaza free concert series, will begin May 28 and run to Sept. 24, featuring a new musical act every Friday. Local opening acts will begin at 7 p.m. and headliners will begin at 8 p.m. The first Nightfall event for the 2010 season will feature Big Sam’s Funky Nation.
Season 22 of the free summer concert series, Nightfall, will kick-off May 28 at Miller Plaza featuring local and headlining acts every Friday until Sept. 24.
Nightfall is an event that works to feature outstanding artists in every genre, and although you may not have heard of the act that is playing, Carla Pritchard, CEO of Chattanooga Presents!, the company that is putting together Nightfall, says people should come out and give the act a try.
Pritchard’s been planning the Nightfall festivities since 1992 with the Downtown Partnership, and when the Partnership dissolved she was the natural choice to be the one to carry the popular festival along says Lisa Flint, the vice president of marketing for the River City Company.
“Although some internal things have changed with the management of Nightfall, it won’t affect the way things are run,” Flint says. “With the Downtown Partnership dissolving, it was important that we maintain the downtown event and that it went down without a glitch and the way people were expecting.”
Pritchard agrees that those who like Nightfall from the past years will like Nightfall this year because the only real changes will be an on-site ATM machine and a different music line up.
“People have grown to love what it has become, and it is a tradition for the community downtown during the summer. We want to be careful not to mess with it too much because we feel like we have a program that has grown into what we always wanted it to be,” she says.
Pritchard says the beauty of Nightfall is the many reasons to attend. Nightfall is designed to be an event people will have time before and after to visit other downtown locations, and the atmosphere of Nightfall allows those who attend to stay from five minutes to the whole show, depending on how the act playing suits them, she says. The crowds of Nightfall dissipate into billiard clubs, restaurants and downtown shops after the concert is over, thereby supporting the local economy.
“We work to make downtown a destination again and again by having it 16 or 17 weeks in a row so that it gets people in the habit of thinking of downtown as a great place to go,” she says.
Families are welcome at Nightfall, so no baby sitter is necessary, she says, and people sometimes bring their dogs to the show as well. Pritchard says Nightfall is something everyone can be a part of and be comfortable.
No coolers are allowed, but event food and snacks are available on-site. She says since this is a free event, it has to be supported in some kind of way, and buying locally around the event supports half of the cost of event while corporate sponsors cover the other half.
The philosophy of Nightfall has been to always incorporate the local music scene into the festival, and this shows in the requirement for every opener to be a local act. Pritchard says they receive some push back from headliners who sometimes travel with their own opener, but she says they hold strong to their philosophy because she feels it is important to keep the community involved in Nightfall and showcase what is local. Pritchard says this year should be a real treat for audiences, as every opening act except for one has never played at Nightfall.
“There were so many great options, and it was tough sorting through,” she says. “To me that speaks volumes that there are so many new acts ... developing in Chattanooga.”
Pritchard says Chattanooga Presents! will also be planning events such as Bella Sera in Renaissance Park on June 5, and she still feels there is a very good possibility about doing Pops on the River this year to celebrate Independence Day. She says they are still looking for partners to make sure the budget is covered, but want to keep it alive.
Chattanooga Presents! is also working on the Three Sisters Bluegrass festival, several corporate events and planning the all-new River Rocks event, which will be a 10 day celebration from Oct. 1 to 10 to celebrate all of Chattanooga’s natural amenities and the sporting events that go with them. She says the 40 different events during the festival will serve as a fundraiser to benefit eight different land conservation organizations in town and support the local economy and food initiative.
“Chattanooga is known for hosting a lot of great public events, so there is a real appreciation for it. It is who we are and how we celebrate,” she says.
Pritchard said more information on what is and isn’t allowed, parking options, links to every artist, frequently asked questions, a full schedule of acts and sponsor and vendor information is available on www.nightfallchattanooga.com
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