EDITORIAL:Lunchtime Concerts need to be rethought

Time of day, vicious weather and problem locations have hampered Glendale's Thursday Lunchtime Concert Series this summer. The joint project of the Downtown Glendale Merchants Assn., Parks, Recreation and Community Services and the Glendale Redevelopment Agency is struggling.

Staging city events is always a tough thing to do. Burbank, La Cañada Flintridge, Montrose, La Crescenta and Glendale have all struggled with this at one time or another. And so they must look their, and each others, successes and failures to achieve the best results.

That is something Glendale must do right now with its lunch series.

It was a great idea in theory. Organizers thought the series, which started in June, would be a way to entertain people working in the downtown area, especially along Brand Boulevard, at lunchtime. They could ease the pace of the workday by spending a leisurely lunch hour listening to live music while savoring a tasty sandwich or salad.

Event planners also thought the sounds of music would entice shoppers at the farmer's market to linger on the boulevard and stop in some of the other businesses along the way.

Concert times, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., were meant to accommodate early or late lunchers. And the few folks attending, whom we interviewed, seemed to enjoy both the music and the premise.

But organizers said the first location, the Glendale Chess Park, was too far out of the way to draw a crowd, even with staffers distributing fliers reminding people about the concerts.

So organizers decided to continue the series in July, but to move it to the Glendale City Center plaza. The plaza offered a great deal more space. But still no one showed. Organizers attribute that failure to the unusual escalation in temperatures.

And so it's time to rethink. For a summer series, at least, the city should rethink the time and day of the concerts.

The city had measurable success with the June film series on Friday evenings at the Meadows on the corner of Wilson Avenue and Brand Boulevard.

The Glendale parks department has had phenomenal success with its Summer Concert Series from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Verdugo Park. The first week drew more than 600 people, organizers said. And the programs are geared to the whole family.

In Burbank, the merchants in the Downtown Burbank District have coordinated a successful dance lesson and concert series from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursdays. Its venue, the AMC Walkway, gets foot traffic from the theaters and an added bonus is the Starbucks across the street.

The city of La Cañada Flintridge also has had success with its Summer Music in the Park series from 6 to 8 p.m. at Memorial Park.

What does this tell us? Evening family events are the ticket.

It seems to be a more convenient time.

And an evening event, with entertainment conducive to families, might encourage more people to come back to Brand Boulevard after their workday ends.

Of course that will not accomplish city leaders' goal: to offer something so those working in downtown.

So maybe organizers have to find an alternate type of entertainment for the working community.

Maybe a survey could be distributed to find out what ideas those who work along the boulevard would like to participate in during their lunch hour.