By Roy Wood, Special to the Times Chronicle
Osoyoos Music in the Park came away disappointed this week when Town Council trimmed its funding request by nearly fifteen per cent for the 2025 summer concert series in Gyro Park.
As part of the annual Resort Municipalities Initiative (RMI) grant approvals, passed at Tuesday’s regular meeting, council awarded Music in the Park $32,500 to produce between 10 and 12 concerts this year. The grant was by far the largest among the recipients of $73,500 from the RMI fund.
Music in the Park had asked for $38,000. But the town’s Grant Evaluation Committee recommended the smaller amount to council. In 2024, the group also asked for $38,000 and was granted $30,000.
Music in the Park manager Janis St. Louis appeared at a council committee meeting earlier Tuesday, hoping to convince members to get closer to this year’s original ask of $38,000.
Adding to the group’s financial woes, St. Louis told the council committee, is a bill for $4,000 it received from the town for rental of Gyro Park.
“If the recommendation goes ahead the way that it’s set up now, (at) $32,500, and then the $4,000, we’ll actually get less money than last year,” she said.
St. Louis outlined the success to last year’s concert series, which saw audiences grow from just 60 people at the opening event, when the weather was poor, to the final Eagles tribute band concert that drew an audience of 2,500. The average audience was about 700 over the summer.
Since its inception in 2015, Music in the Park has put on 94 concerts and sometime this summer it will reach 100.
If the group were to receive closer to the $38,000, the extra money would “go exclusively to the costs of the bands. The actual fees we pay to them. … We want to offer more higher quality bands,” St. Louis said.
“We’d like to be able to build on our success by providing another four or five high-calibre bands/entertainers. You saw the response to Eagle Eyes in 2024 and 2023. We want to continue with some more bands and entertainers of their calibre,” said a written submission.
The group added, “Each year we expand our reach by providing a new element to our Concert Series. For 2025 we have added a concert that will be specifically for children.”
St. Louis said the children’s concert will be a joint effort with the Osoyoos Museum and a private sector sponsor – Home Hardware – has been found for the event.
Asked by Councillor Jim King about other fund-raising efforts being undertaken, St. Louis said the group has secured some funding from Fortis and is negotiating with several entities, including Starbucks, Tim Horton’s and Spirit Ridge. She said raising cash is difficult because of competition from other non-profits and “We’re a little bit late asking people.”
The Watermark has agreed to provide meals for the performers.
As well, the so-called Tip Jar that was placed on the stage during concerts managed to raise $3,700. The soon-to-be-launched new website will include a virtual tip jar along with promotions for funding, sponsors and community partners.
In answer to a question from King, community services director Gerald Davis said it would be possible for council to adjust downward the $4,000 rent for the Gyro Park venue.
However, the issue did not arise at the afternoon regular council meeting, at which the $32,500 grant recommended by the evaluation committee was passed unanimously and without comment.
