PORT HAWKESBURY: Officials with the town are happy with the response to the return of the Granville Green Concert Series this summer.
Michelle Farrow, Director of Recreation, Marketing, Tourism, and Culture for the Town of Port Hawkesbury told The Reporter public reaction to the lineup and schedule has been excellent.
“It was just fantastic, people are really, really excited; we can see the social media impressions on our end so it just blew it out of the water. We’re pumped,” she said. “I think having a diverse offering of genres is going to be great.”
According to a press release issued by the town on June 2, the Granville Green Concert Series, presented by Bear Head Energy and EverWind Fuels, will feature six free outdoor concerts on Sundays from July 3 to Aug. 7 on Granville Street in Port Hawkesbury.
The lineup for this summer is: July 3, Tyler Shaw with special guest Inn Echo; July 10, The Stanfields with special guests Andre Pettipas and the Giants; July 17, Barn Bhreagh with special guest Steve MacIntyre; July 24, Jeremie Albino with special guest Jon Hines; July 31, Robyn Ottolini with special guest Elyse Aeryn; and Aug. 7, Classified with special guest Brett Matthews.
“We want to give local artists and Cape Breton artists a chance to be featured on the Granville Green stage,” Farrow noted. “I think if you talk to young artists, up and coming, or local artists, they will tell you that Granville Green is a rite of passage and you want to have that experience right here at home, and we want to support that for sure.”
Each concert begins at 7 p.m. and attendees are encouraged by the town to bring blankets and chairs for comfort. In case of inclement weather, they said concerts will move into the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre, and social media updates will be provided via: @granvillegreenph.
“It’s incredible to see such excitement for the return of Granville Green, and the level of community investment from industry and local business. Special thanks to our presenting sponsors Bear Head Energy and EverWind,” said Brenda Chisholm-Beaton, Mayor of the Town of Port Hawkesbury.
This year, the outdoor concert series has been renamed “Granville Green Resurgence,” after a two-year hiatus, Farrow said, noting that they wanted to focus on community, sharing stories, creating lasting partnerships and friendships, and fostering volunteerism.
Farrow said the town decided to choose and confirm artists about four months ago. She said they started contacting their representatives to confirm dates, sound requirements, opening performances, and other needs. Once those details were ironed out, they were able to focus on preparations, sponsorships, donations, partnerships, work plans, and marketing, she noted.
“As soon as that announcement came down from the province, we were full steam ahead. I would say there was always some planning going on in the background, but once the announcement came out, we were able to move forward with booking the artists,” she said.
As far as selecting the acts, like the town’s recreation programs, Farrow said they rely on community feedback.
“We get an idea, check availability, listen to their portfolios and decide if the vibe works. Sometimes it works out right away, sometimes we go back to the drawing board. This year, we wanted to focus on diversifying the shows. I wanted to mix up the genres while supporting artists from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and interests,” she wrote. “We also have a number of agencies that we work with, that work with a variety of artists so conversations happen early on with the agencies themselves and finding out who might be a good fit for an outdoor venue, who might be in the area at that time, and you start filling in the blanks.”
Farrow said this year’s artwork for Granville Green features the work of Indigenous artist Marcus Gosse. Entitled “For Crows That Like To Rock-We Salute You,” she said the work features two crows representing friendship, joy, community, strength, and love for the land.
“We carefully chose this year’s artwork, which represents community, unity, partnership and strength,” Farrow wrote via email. “Indigenous artist Marcus Gosse provided this description for the image we chose, which fits perfectly with our themes this year”
The Granville Green Concert Series is produced by the Port Hawkesbury Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department. Other Granville Green sponsors include Seaboard Tire Port Hawkesbury, East Coast Credit Union, TD Bank, Maple Signs and Engraving, BL Environmental, Port Hawkesbury Paper, Golden Lake Estates, A1 Pizza, and Canadian Tire.
The concert is also made possible through enhanced community partnerships with 101.5 the Hawk, The Reporter, Maritime Inns, as well as community grants from the Government of Canada, the Province of Nova Scotia, and Destination Cape Breton.
Farrow added that she hopes people come out to enjoy the concerts this year.
“I think people are ready for something big, I think they’re ready to gather again,” she added. “I think we’re going to have some big crowds.”