Petoskey‘s Concerts in the Park

Carrying on a Musical Tradition
Petoskey’s Concerts in the Park

By Kristi Kates 6/15/09

Perhaps one of the most interesting things about Petoskey’s Concerts in the Park series - set to kick off this summer in Pennsylvania Park on June 16 - is the story of its founder.
Concerts in the Park began way back in 1981, when John Talbert, then the executive director of the Petoskey Chamber of Commerce, saw the need for a lunchtime event in Pennsylvania Park, and enlisted Charlotte Ross-Lee to help him get the series started. Ross-Lee was a 25-year Petoskey resident who was well-known for her work in the community; she was an active part of the 4th of July Parade Committee, and also a piano teacher.

DETROIT TO PETOSKEY
Ross-Lee’s story, though, really began in Detroit, where she was raised in a musical family. Her parents owned Couchman’s Music House there, and Ross-Lee grew up in the store, working as a “music demonstrator” by playing sheet music on piano for customers. Her family lost everything in the Depression, after which Ross-Lee began playing dinner music in small restaurants; it wasn’t long before she also began playing piano on the radio. From her early 20s to her late 40s, she worked Detroit’s circuit of hotels and dining rooms as a musician, and she continued performing when she moved to Petoskey.
All of this musical experience made her the perfect person to helm the Concerts in the Park series, which Talbert likely knew when he asked for her help. Ross-Lee was the primary organizer and fundraiser for the series for 19 years, until she passed in 2000; the series now bears her name, as it’s officially called the Charlotte Ross-Lee Concerts in the Park. And the torch has passed in order to help the concert series live on.

PASSING THE TORCH
“Dale and Ruth Ann Hull are now the volunteer chairs that carry on the series,” Petoskey Downtown Director Becky Goodman explains, “they have done a tremendous job of taking over the responsibility. They are valued volunteers who spend their own time booking the groups and arranging for announcers.”
These aren’t just occasional events, either; the Concerts in the Park series, currently sponsored by Bank of Northern Michigan, offers a variety of music, something for everyone, and is both a welcome lunchtime break for those working in the downtown area, and a great draw for tourists to downtown Petoskey.
“The Concerts are held at 12:15 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays, and at 7 p.m. on Friday evenings,” Goodman says, “park benches are provided by the City of Petoskey, but people bring blankets and camp chairs and sit wherever they feel comfortable. Picnic lunches are a great idea, but so is stopping for dinner or lunch at a Downtown restaurant before or after. Downtown also offers many places for an ice cream or other dessert. If there is rain, the concert is moved to the First Presbyterian Church on Waukazoo Street, across from the Crooked Tree Arts Center.”

ANOTHER MUSICAL SUMMER
Remember that ‘something for everyone’ declaration? Well, there certainly is, especially judging by this summer’s list of acts.
The Epsilon Jazz Band kicks off the series on June 16, and the summer will be bid farewell by the Americana music of Suzanne and Jim Hale in August. In-between, you’ll find everything from vocal groups (The Northern Michigan Choral, The Charlevoix Men’s Chorus, The Woodland Singers) to more jazz (Northwest Academy Jazz Band, Trombones Plus), classical (Little Bay Baroque, Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra Ensemble) to local favorites (Sean Ryan, Blissfest), and even a few more unusual performances, such as the Native American flute work of talented local musician Aaron Otto.
“The Concerts in the Park series carries on the tradition of arts and culture in the community,” Goodman says, “it brings free entertainment to everyone; seniors, visitors, locals alike. It brings people downtown to enjoy themselves, and perhaps also to shop and dine. And it creates a very distinct sense of place.”
Indeed. During the afternoons of the concert series, Pennsylvania Park buzzes with genteel, neighborly activity; folks finding a place to sit, standing around chatting, setting out picnic foods, catching up with summer friends, and waiting for the entertainment to start.
“I think the best thing about it is that it is so quaint,” Goodman continues, “when the park is filled with music, it sets the downtown apart from other shopping districts. It creates a very inviting atmosphere.”
For more info on Petoskey’s 2009 Charlotte Ross-Lee Concerts in the Park series, visit
www.petoskey.com.





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