Rock ‘n roll into summer at The Grove

By The Pioneer 12 years ago

School is almost out and we are off to another spectacular summer in Clayton. The farmers market is open every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon, and we have nine more concerts in our “Concerts in The Grove” series.

Saturday evening is our next Concert in The Grove with Cover 2 Cover, a high-energy dance band with a variety of musical styles spanning five decades. They are one of the top cover bands in the Bay Area.

Our first concert was a great success. Since the state’s dissolution of Redevelopment agencies, our concerts are now 100 percent funded by our sponsors and by you, our concert patrons. Your generosity last season generated nearly $16,000 in funding, covering nearly half the concert costs for the season. The Clayton Business and Community Association and Allied Waste donated the rest. Nearly 2,500 people attended our first concert two weeks ago and you donated nearly $2,300. You are amazing! Thank you.

A few gentle reminders about concert etiquette so everyone can enjoy the concerts:

  • No chairs and blankets may be set out unattended before 4 p.m. on concert days; you can stake-out your space before that time only if you stay with your stuff.
  • No riding of bikes, skateboards or scooters, etc. in the park during concerts.
  • No silly string or water balloons in park.
  • No umbrellas, tents, etc., during concerts.
  • Please pick up your litter and use recycling and trash bins as appropriate.

The concerts are scheduled to end at 8:30 p.m. and we try to stick to that time out of respect for neighbors near downtown. Sometimes delays may cause us to run a bit over. We hope residents will understand when that happens. The park officially closes at 9:30 p.m. on concert nights, at dusk on other evenings, so please help us clear the park by that time. Social gatherings may continue at our downtown restaurants or clubs.

Memorial Day commemoration

Memorial Day is Monday. Before the family BBQs and other activities, please join me, our council and community members at 10 a.m. at the flagpole on Main Street for our annual VFW Memorial Day ceremony to remember those who gave their all to preserve our freedom. Concord Mayor Dan Helix, a retired Army major-general, will lead the ceremony this year.

Already planning the Fourth

Planning is well underway for our annual July Fourth Parade. The parade entry application is on the city website: www.ci.clayton.ca.us. The deadline to sign up to be in the parade is June 24. Our five-person committee does all the organizing, but we need many volunteers on the fourth to help us make the parade run smoothly. Please let me know if you will help out this year.

Mowing to come

The lack of winter rains have made it extra dry this year, and many of you have written to share your concerns about the dry grasses on our trails and open space. Our Landscape Maintenance District budget includes only one mowing of weeds during the year. That will be done by mid-June.

As always, you can contact me by email at JPierce@ci.clayton.ca.us. Let me know what you think!

 

[USM_plus_form]