Society, city tuning up for music fest
By Author
City
Published May 6, 2009

Area historic and city officials think a new event at the Frostville Museum site this summer will hit the right note with area arts advocates.

Members of Arts Enterprise BGSU, the Bowling Green State University branch of a national non-profit organization for arts advocacy and entrepreneurship, have teamed up with the Olmsted Historic Society to bring the first Northern Ohio Music Festival to the Frostville Museum campus in the Cleveland Metroparks on July 26. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and feature a wide range of musical talent with many genres represented.

Paul Schumann, president of the Society board and chairman of the city of North Olmsted Historic Landmarks Commission, said the Frostville site is a natural for the event, which will be based on similar events done by the national Arts Enterprise group.

“It’s an ideal venue because there are multiple performance spaces, both in and out of doors,” Schumann said. “A lot of people are familiar with Frostville and other events we’ve held there, so we think this one can be a big success as well.”

Schumann said many people can enjoy the diverse lineup being set up for the festival.

“There will be established classical violinists to jazz singers with a diverse program of talented musicians,” he said. “There will be local and regional performers, including already established musicians from multiple genres as well as students from the College of Musical Arts at Bowling Green.”

Schumann cheerfully admits to parental pride in noting that his daughter Chelsea, a 2007 graduate of North Olmsted High School, and currently a music performance and business major at BGSU, first helped organize the Arts Enterprise group at Bowling Green and is one of the organizers for the festival.

“She came in and really got the program moving here,” he said. “She did a great job of letting us know about it and what it could do for not only their program, but for our area as well. We believe it can fit right in with other successful programs we have and become an annual event in the community.”

Schumann said the organization seeks to unite support of the arts with creative entrepreneurial work.

City officials are enthused about the project.

“The Society has done an outstanding job of building up the area around the museum,” said Paul Barker, chairman of North Olmsted City Council’s Building, Zoning and Development Committee. “People see the work they’ve done to make that area a success and have responded by supporting their work. They’ve had other great events there in recent years and I think this can become one as well.”

Mayor Thomas O’Grady said it points out that North Olmsted can draw successful events.

“We certainly have homegrown ones, like the firefighters annual car show, which provides support for the Muscular Dystrophy Association or our Homecoming,” he said. “Plus, we had the Labor Day parade and activities afterwards last year, which were a big success. The society has done a lot of  great work and it sounds like this should be a success as well.”

Schumann said people can get additional information by calling (440) 346-4685 or going to artsenterprise.org. or Schumann.Chelsea@gmail.com.

“We’re looking forward to getting it going,” he said.

On the Web:

• Members of Arts Enterprise BGSU