Two Scrooges Wanna Unplug Triangle Concerts
Posted: August 17th, 2009 | Filed under: Community, Culture | 4 Comments »
In a perfect world, everyone would love their neighbors and their neighborhood.
The Film Babe and I are blessed. We do.
We live in the Triangle and we can walk to the movies, walk to the best pizza joint on the planet — Impellizzeri’s — and simply walk through the lovely streets. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Oak Park has nothing on the Cherokee Triangle . . . except lots of tourists. And the neighbors that surround us are great.
Plus on Sunday nights in the summertime, we can walk a block and a half for one of the great pleasures of the year. Concerts in Triangle Park. It’s a vista beyond compare. The perfect setting for perfect moments.
Neighbors gather with picnic baskets and coolers of treats to mix, mingle, dance and generally enjoy the pleasures of the season. The gatherings are always gentle and genteel. Kids on the playground. Watchful parents right by. Teens wondering if they like their parents’ music enough to stay. Joggers slowing as they meander past the proceedings. Old farts reveling in one more Nervous Melvin cover of a Beatles tune.
It’s poesy.
And, adhering to the Grateful Dead credo about leaving only footsteps behind, you can walk through the park a half an hour after the proceedings are over and there’s rarely the first piece of trash left behind.
It’s a good thing.
Which makes me wonder why two cranks in the neighborhood have been trying for a couple years now to close down these joyous neighborhood celebrations?
Even more surprising is that one of the Scrooges lives in a manse on a little bluff overlooking the park with a grand front terrace on which he hosts a party almost every Sunday night when there’s music playing.
Irony is one word to describe his actions. Duplicitous is another.
The other naysayer lives in 1400 Willow, I believe. I’m not sure why she’s so upset. I’m told she doesn’t like the trash cans in the park. Or something like that.
Anyway, these two have taken it upon themselves to inundate the Parks Department and Mayor’s office with their continual braying complaints. One can only hope their insufferable crusade to dampen the terrific spirit force of this summertime ritual falls on deaf ears.
Yo, you two, hear this: Life’s too short. It’s time for you to step out on the concrete in front of the gazebo and dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand wavin’ free.
Dear Mr. Maven,
I am that terrible lady in the 1400 Willow who is asking that the 16 concert series be moved to Baringer Hill, a non-residential and safe venue for the hundreds of attendees who descend upon this historic one-acre park.
You are mistaken about the number of people who are inconvenienced each Sunday. I have a petition signed by over 50 people who are willing to donate money to restoring this park but with the extreme wear caused by these concerts feel it is a useless endeavor.
Maybe I can explain our reasoning.
Parking on the roots of trees is very damaging., We are very blessed that our ancestors thought enough about future generations that they planned and planted these beautiful parks over a hundred years ago. It is our responsiblity for future generations to be able to also enjoy these treasured parks.
The CTA and Tony Lindauer, an elected official and the promoter of the concerts, raises their funds through the ARt Fair. They currently have in their coffers as of June 2009, $225,803 plus $118,000 raised from this year’s Art Fair. Even though their By-Laws state (Article VI #8) under Parks, Trees, and Beautification: This committee shall be responsible for maintaining the grounds of the Castleman Monument, Willow Park and the Cherokee ParkwayGReenspace, etc. Unfortunately, CTA officials including Tony Lindauer, Anne Lindauer and Antonia Lindauer state that the maintenance of WIllow Park is up to the tax payers. That means you and me. CTA sponsors events that bring in more than 40,000 people starting in April and ending in September. They pay no maintenance fees! That’s right, zip fees.
Please take a few minutes to walk in Willow Park and inspect the playground put in the 1970′sespecially the rotten fence, that is yards away from the busy highway and the antiquated slide, the rotted benches and destroyed grass.
I donot know if you are a conservationist, however, I do hope you respect our heritage and wish to leave it in good shape for our generations to come.
PS:the walk up the hill to Baringer Hill would be good for your health as well as the trees and landscape of the park.
Ms. Bauer,
Who is parking on the roots of trees? This concert series of one of Louisville’s best park attractions. Fun, wholesome, beautiful setting, family oriented, convenient, and of little impact on Willow Park. Face it, the dance floor was put there years ago for a reason. You come off as someone with too much time on your hands. Sorry…
Let’s examine Ms. Bauer’s arguement. She would like the concert moved to Baringer Hill. How exactly would that work? The band would have to have a stage at the bottom of the hill and there is no stage nor electricity there. At the top of the hill is a pagoda but no place to sit and watch the band.
She says she has over 50 people who have signed a petition and are willing ot pay to restore the park but won’t because it is overused. I have a few questions on this one. If you look at how the whole park system including Cherokee Park and Willow Park, it becomes very clear that Cherokee was supposed to be the peaceful strolling part and the Willow was supposed to be a gathering part. Why would you put a gazebo and a dance floor in front of a big open area otherwise? So as a conservationists shouldn’t we keep using the park as intended? And, these people who are willing to pay to keep up the park, does that mean that they will now take over complete maintanence of a public park once the concerts are gone?
Willow Park is a PUBLIC park and is therefore property and responsibilty of the city. It is also there for the use of everyone in the city, not just the residents of Cherokee Rd between Willow and Everett. Which at the end of the day is what this is really all about. You just don’t want all of those “people” who come in for the concerts. You know, the ones from less desirable neighborhoods and maybe look a little different than you.
The CTA is responsible for paying for the concerts and security and the park during the performance, which they do. They also pay for upkeep and other projects which they are not required to do by law. It is in the by- laws of the CTA but is a volunteer function of the organization. Which by the way is why they don’t pay the fees, they already pay for the plantings and upkeep of the Catleman Statue
You claim that the park is rundown, but meanwhile it is in far better shape than the area you want to move it to and has a brand new restroom facility (by the way, where did the money come from for that?) And exactly where is the busy highway that this rotten fence is next to? Are you refering to 25 MPH Willow Ave? I mean I know you’re old and all, but you can’t possibly think Willow is a busy anything let alone a highway.
And exactly how is the slide antiquated? I there a new fangled slide I am unaware of? You still get on at the top and ride it to the bottom, right? The kids that play in the playground every Sunday night certainly look miserable.
Look, when I bought my house on Everett Ave, one of the main factors was the Sunday night concert series, and as far as I’m concerned it is a big factor on keeping housing valuse up in the neighborhood, so we will keep the concert series and our higher than average property values, thank you very much. And If you don’t like it there are all sorts of condos for sale in the East End with lots of people who look just like you.
I think the Cherokee Triangle Association does a FABULOUS JOB! and the two naysayers should get their heads out of their A—S!