Fewer people are ripping open pull tabs, and fewer people are shoveling in flapjacks at annual pancake breakfasts. A 20 percent drop in statewide pull tab sales and a 70 percent attendance drop at breakfasts have put the Maple Grove Lions Club in need of another fundraiser for the plethora of organizations it aids.
Enter the Maple Grove Lions Music Fest in August, the second annual installment of a summer weekend of food, beer and tunes at the Maple Grove Town Green. “We were looking for creative ways to raise money because more money means helping more people,” says Phil Leith, Lions Club president and Maple Grove city council member.
Last year’s inaugural fest was organized in a few quick months and lasted one August afternoon and evening. A few hundred came out to the Town Green, Maple Grove’s new and then-little-known amphitheater. The Lions lost money getting the fest off the ground, but they expect some net income this year with an anticipated 1,000 attendees to both Friday, and now, Saturday on the first weekend of August. “It was a good start, but you have to spend money to get an event going,” Leith says of fixed costs such as paying bands and organizing and setting up a fence, bathrooms and a sound system.
A country music theme on Friday will be headlined by Rocket Club, a nationally-known band with Chris Hawkey, the KFAN sports radio host and Maple Grove resident. Rocket Club will tour across Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio this summer, but Hawkey says playing again at Town Green in Maple Grove means a lot to him.
“It was a no brainer for us,” Hawkey says of the decision to play the fest. “The response when we played the outdoor show at the new band pavilion in Maple Grove last year was tremendous, and we were excited to get the chance to play for those fans again in 2011. Also, as a Maple Grove resident, it’s fun to play a show in front of the hometown fans when we spend so much time traveling all over the country to play concerts.”
A rock theme follows on Saturday afternoon and evening with three bands. A blues or jazz theme could come on Sunday in future years, according to Leith: “We want to create an annual music event in Maple Grove and have it grow.”
Longtime Maple Grove resident Teresa Tolle attended last year’s music fest on a whim after hearing about it from friends and people at church. She called the $10 ticket a “great value” for last year’s one-day affair. So, at $10 for two days, it’s an even better value, she says. “The caliber of the show and the atmosphere around the show … I haven’t seen anything close to that in the area,” Tolle says.
The Maple Grove Lions want to use the success of Rockin’ Rogers Days as a model for success. The festival northwest on Interstate 94 has been running for 12 years and spans four days. During the three days of music, Rockin’ Rogers Days draws about 6,000 to 7,000 fans with good weather, says Don Hall, a past president and current member of the Rogers Lions Club.
The Rogers Lions Club has not relied on pull tabs for fundraising like in Maple Grove, but knows how difficult it can be to receive any donations. “Everybody is trying to grab the donated dollar,” Hall says, “so you have to do everything you can to grab it. That is the most difficult thing.”
One thing isn’t difficult: running a music fest if the Lions are on the same page as the city government, police and fire departments and public works. “The biggest thing is for all the stakeholders to work together,” Hall says. “If someone pulls out, it can be tough. Whey you get it up, the people will come. That’s for sure.”
The Maple Grove Lions Music Fest by the numbers:
5 bands – Rocket Club, MLC Band, Jonah & The Whales, Wrecked Wheelhouse and Wild Hawg Band
2 days – Aug. 5 and 6, with music starting at 6 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday
1 spot – Town Green on Main Street in Maple Grove
$10 – Cost to attend
At least 30 groups – The fest donates all proceeds to community charities, service projects and civic needs
612.961.0255 – If your business wants to sponsor or donate to the fest, call Phil Leith
