Party on the Plaza kicks off ’09 season downtown tonight
A new season of Party on the Plaza begins tonight. Admission is free. The schedule of dates and bands for the rest of the summer (band listed first starts at 8 p.m., and the band listed second starts at 10:30 p.m.):
Tonight: Allies, Acoustic Juggernaut
June 19: Sonic Age, The Rage
July 3: Sonic Age, The HouseBand
July 24: The Werks, Jones for Revival
Aug. 5: The Kellys, The HouseBand
Aug. 28: Allies, The Rage
Sept. 11: Frequent Season, Rudy and the Professionals
Organizers are trying to bounce back from an off year in 2008.
YOUNGSTOWN — It’s one of the sure signs of summer.
Party on the Plaza, the annual series of outdoor blowouts in front of Buffalo Wild Wings, downtown, kicks off tonight. Attendance was off last season, and the organizers have made some adjustments to lure back the huge crowds of the past.
Tonight’s party will include music by two bands: Allies at 8 p.m. and Acoustic Juggernaut at 10:30 p.m. The event officially starts around 5 p.m. — although it generally doesn’t get busy until several hours later — and runs until 1 a.m.
A.C. McCullough, a radio personality on WHOT-101 FM, will emcee tonight’s party. Teams from the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life will serve as guest bartenders to raise money for the ACS. Tip jars will be set up for donations, said Doug Esenwein, regional manager of Buffalo Wild Wings.
Attendance was down last year for a couple of reasons, and Esenwein is taking steps to attract the big crowds POP had drawn in the past.
“We had challenges last year,” said Esenwein. “The weather was rainy, and that kept the bikers away. And there was construction all summer, plus the problem with the windows.”
Construction work forced the closing of East Federal Street alongside the Buffalo Wild Wings building. And a project to remove and then replace windows in the upper floors of the building forced the party into the parking lot.
“This year, we’re trying to get it back to where it was,” said Esenwein. “We’re putting the focus back on the music and the things that Party on the Plaza was successful at in the past. We tried a few things last year to get people to stay downtown after work, but it wasn’t drawing. It’s a younger crowd that likes to come out late. So we’re focusing on the entertainment this year, which starts a little bit later in the evening.”
The bands selected this year are proven crowd-pleasers, said Esenwein, party bands that appeal to a wide range of people. And unlike past years, all are local acts.
“People enjoy the local flavor,” he said. “It’s all mainstream stuff that will appeal to everybody. That’s what people seem to be looking for. Everybody’s welcome.”