While the acts have changed during the course of the past 59 years, the focus behind Community Concerts of Lake City’s Live Artist Series remains the same: to bring entertainment and culture to the residents of Columbia County at an affordable price. Dodie Pedlow, who was on the original Board of Directors for the first season of Community Concerts, says the idea was initially part of a Newcomers’
Club. One of the founding members, Madge VanArsdale, decided Lake City needed more culture and developed the idea for local concerts. The response from music representatives was surprising: numerous groups wanted to meet with Community Concerts of Lake City’s Board of Directors, which at the time, didn’t exist. Pedlow was one of the first asked to join the board and was an integral part of the group for many years. Back then, Pedlow said the board relied on a representative of Columbia Artists to pick acts which he or she believed would be successful in the area. This later evolved into the board members’ picking from a list to what it is today. Members of the board audition a number of acts at annual showcases in Nashville and South Florida to choose the acts for the upcoming season. Concerts are presented at the Levy Performing Arts Center on the campus of Florida Gateway College. The FGC arts center is named after Dr. Alfonso Levy, an early board member who eventually became known as “Mr. Music.”
As the years passed, organizers began to discover they could attract some big-name performers, not just those at the beginning or end of their careers. A number of well-known acts have appeared during the years: Artie Shaw, Fred Waring, Ferrante & Teicher, the New Christie Minstrels, John Davidson, and the Glenn Miller Orchestra are just a few. Top quality performers are still attracted to Lake City today.
“Performers tell us they love performing in Lake City,” says Past President David Murdock.” We always do our best to make them feel at home.”
Organizers who have been with Community Concerts for a number of years—Barbara Ann Carpenter, Bonita Hadwin, Lorraine Kirkland, Sue Tuell, Bill & Linda Poplin, and Emeritus Director Catherine O’Steen—all tell stories about experiences during their time with the concert series, whether it was ironing clothes for a performer, playing a round of golf with a musician, treating an entertainer to dinner, or helping a singer who tumbled off the stage. Organizers try to keep up with the times, one of the reasons the series has expanded from its once classical oriented showcase. While at least one classical show is always included on the annual performance list, organizers have extended the playlist to reach a larger audience, especially families. Community Concerts makes a special effort to acquaint young people with the arts by offering one or more free noon-time “outreach” concerts. Season tickets are available at the Lake City Chamber of Commerce or online at communityconcerts.info. Purchase of a membership includes season tickets plus a free pass to the “Live! at Dowling Park Artist Series” at the beautiful Village Church at Advent Christian Village. Price is $75/adult and only $25/student K-12. For more information, including how to subscribe by mail, call 386-466-2013. Community Concerts is an all-volunteer non-profit corporation. Financial support is provided by those who buy single tickets or season membership tickets at various support levels and by businesses that purchase ad space in our annual program jackets.
