Fridays on the Flint events to resume after holiday break
File Photo: Carlton Fletcher
By Carlton Fletcher
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ALBANY — One of Albany’s best-kept entertainment secrets is not so secret anymore, and it resumes after a holiday break on Friday.
Spectra Entertainment, the group that manages the Albany Civic Center, Albany Municipal Auditorium and Veterans Park Amphitheatre, will resume its free Fridays on the Flint series Friday night with a performance by Stephen Harrell and the Dusty Boots Band. The performance starts at 6 p.m. and continues until 9 p.m.
“We didn’t really stop (the series), it’s just that this month the Fourth (of July) celebration became our focus,” Josh Small, the manager of the entertainment complex, said. “We started doing this as a way to give back to the community, and while weather kind of hampered things for the April and May shows, we had a really nice crowd in June when the Bo Henry Band played. Of course, that might have had a lot to do with it, but I think part of it is that the word is starting to get out more now.
“We’ve brought on some cool sponsors, and we’re working to get Georgia Grown more involved with what we do. This is a free event, even for the vendors, and it’s always a little tough to get something started from scratch. But I think we’re moving in the right direction.”
Past performers at the Fridays on the Flint series included Evan Barber and the Dead Gamblers and the Evergreen Family Band.
Small, who has been with the entertainment complex in Albany for a year now, said the idea is to grow the Friday series to run from April to September and to find enough sponsors so that the event pays for itself.
“Sure, the primary thing is to give back to the community, but at the end of the day we still have to pay the bands and we have to pay for security,” he said. “We don’t want to really overthink this from a business mindset; it will always be about engaging the community. But if we can offset the costs, that will be a win all around. Right now, things are definitely trending in the right direction.”
Potential vendors and others looking for more information about the Fridays on the Flint events should contact the Albany Civic Center.
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