The fun started in 2006 when an
Old Town Lansing businessman, John Kodeski, did a little research on other towns and came across a nationwide event called “
Pickin’ in the Park.” It originated in Georgia and soon migrated, song-by-song, to other states.
His interest piqued, Kodeski suggested that a smattering of local guitar players and singer-songwriters set up on Tuesday evenings in little Turner Park in Old Town, at the corner of Turner Street and Grand River Avenue.
They had fun. Strollers stopped to listen.
The next week, a couple more players showed up. Then others. More people. More fun.
So much fun, in fact, that Lansing’s version of Pickin’ in the Park was born, and it quickly outgrew little Turner Park. The fun moved across Grand River Avenue to larger Burchard Park, near the
Brenke Fish Ladder.
As the weather warmed, more musicians came to play, some from outside of town who were just in Lansing to play a gig elsewhere after the sun goes down. Word just got around.
“It came together pretty organically,” says Chad Badgero with the
Old Town Commercial Association (OTCA). “We did some posters and mentioned it in our newsletters, but it’s been pretty much people just telling each other about it.”
Pass the WOMNowadays, if you stroll along the
River Trail near Old Town on a summer Tuesday or Thursday evening, you just might get caught up in a free concert or jam session. You might hear a solo performance, or a group of guitar pickers, singers and strummers. Maybe it'll be a jazz creation.
Pretty soon a crowd will gather and you’ll look for a place to hunker down and enjoy the music in a relaxed setting.
In the ad biz it’s called WOM, or Word of Mouth advertising. It works best when WOM is selling something people want.
And in
Old Town Lansing, thanks to a younger set of residents, music venues like the
Creole Gallery, and the proximity of music Mecca
Elderly Instruments, live music is a hot product. It's been a colorful thread in the tapestry of Old Town for nearly a decade.
And even though word has spread quickly, Pickin’ in the Park remains an informal gathering for the most part. And it has also managed to stay free.
Players usually started showing up after 5 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. The music starts heating up a round 6 p.m. and tapers off by dusk. The group is mostly folk musicians, with some bluegrass, jazz and blues and it’s pretty much unplugged. It's whatever players feel like—no set hours or schedule, just an eclectic mix of jamming and solo performances.
Most of the players know each other, but anyone is welcome to play, listen or sing along.
National NamesIn May,
Elliot Yamin, a competitor on
American Idol just two years ago, drew quite a crowd at Pickin' in the Park when he sang with a guitar accompanist. His performance was a knockout, and cars driving down Turner Street stopped to tune in.
Christina Jackson, 25, an account manager with
Pace & Partners, an Old Town marketing firm, stayed around after work for “
Shmooze on Tues,” a gathering of locals, artists, musicians and visitors, and was delighted by the Yamin concert.
“This was awesome," she says. "I heard about it on the radio. The singer was my sister’s favorite on American Idol a couple years ago, even if he didn’t win. So I met my dad and sister down here. This guy is on the radio all the time.”
“It’s my first time here,” says Megan Hygh, 19, from DeWitt. “I’ll come back. It was fun. Free concerts are always fun.”
“I had a great time,” says Rogerray Frye, an Old Town resident, videographer and photographer who owns
Rayform Productions. “This is the first time I’ve been at this location, but last year I did attend Pickin’ in the Park across the street in Burchard Park, where it’s easier to take a picnic and just sit on the grass.”
Chris VanWyck, a well-known designer from Old Town’s
CiesaDesign, was there with a toddler on one knee and another around his shoulders.
“I’ve never been to Pickin’ in the Park before,” said VanWyck. “But what is cool about this was the range of people—young people, families, hipsters, some elderly couples. This kind of thing is what I like about Old Town, a place where there are all kinds of little niches where art happens.”
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Jack Helder, a long-time writer/producer for Old Town-based Pace & Partners, lives in the country, but his heart resides in Old Town.
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of Trumpie Photography.
Photos:
Scenes from Pickin' in the Park performances including Tana Dennings and Jon Davis (photo #2) and Ernie Mullings (photo #4)
All Photographs © Dave Trumpie