MANKATO —
Pridefest will be the final event of the season to be held at Riverfront Park next weekend, ending a string of outdoor concerts and entertainment that Eric Jones of the Verizon Wireless Center says went better than expected.
“I think it went fantastic,” said Jones, marketing manager. “We learned a lot about the park — how it’s going to work, how people get in, how people get out.”
Jones even credits people’s curiosity of the new venue to an increase of a thousand more people attending RibFest this year in early August.
Logistics of a new venue are always a concern, Jones said. But the Verizon staff didn’t run into too many issues during the first season. Limited parking at the park has been the biggest complaint. But the shuttle service was a helpful feature, which took people from the Verizon to the park and back.
“Once people actually gave it a try, they found it wasn’t that bad,” he said.
Jones said next year the weekly free Wednesday concert series will continue, featuring local acts. The park also will be used as the primary venue from June to September for touring national acts, which included Martin Zellar, Lorie Line, Citizen Cope and others this season.
On Friday, Chris Young, a country artist, will be the final big touring act at the park this year.
Jones said, after just a dozen shows at the park so far, it’s too early to see trends in what kinds of events will bring in the most people to the outdoor space. Although he’s sure country music will be a big draw to Riverfront Park.
“But then, that’s kind of this market. Country does well, anyway,” he said.
No major events have been booked yet for next season.
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