A concert crowd at the 2015 Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge. Concerts by the Marshall Tucker Band and Three Dog Night attracted the highest number of spectators in festival history. (Photo by Robert Welton)
The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday could consider changes to the Secret City Festival, including a possible move to the fall. The annual festival could be expanded into a celebration that could start in October and run through Veterans Day (November 11), last at least a week, and include the Secret City Festival.
It’s one of five changes recommended by the Special Events Advisory Task Force set up by City Council in February. Each Council member appointed a member of the task force, which was chaired by Council member Trina Baughn. The task force was expected to meet for six months and provide a recommendation to City Council by this month.
The City Council will need to consider an amendment to the Monday night agenda to formally include the recommended changes.
“The idea is not to limit the celebration to a single event, but to incorporate other activities over an expanded period of time that allow for greater participation by both patrons and various organizations within the community,” Baughn said in an August 5 memo to City Council.
Other potential changes include:
- setting up a nonprofit to start the Secret City Celebration, with the goal of becoming self-sustaining within five years;
- encouraging or requiring that nonprofit to develop a veterans theme for the celebration around the arts, history, science, and culture of the City of Oak Ridge either directly or indirectly with other organizations;
- appointing the inaugural board of directors of the nonprofit in October, and
- appointing a board with a minimum of 14 members, with seven of them being the previously appointed members of the Special Events Advisory Task Force. Council could also appoint non-voting, ex officio members as representative members of community organizations with specific areas of expertise. The board would be expected to hire an executive director or consultant within 12 months of their first meeting.
The independent nonprofit could function similar to the Dogwood Arts Council in Knoxville.
More information on the discussion of the proposed changes is available in the earlier story by Oak Ridge Today.
A summary of the recommended changes that Council could consider on Monday is available here. It’s not clear yet whether any Council members might want more information or discussion, possibly in a work session, before agreeing to make any changes.
The Monday night meeting starts at 7 p.m. August 10 in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom. See the agenda here.
Information on this year’s Secret City Festival, which could be the last one in June, is available here. Organizers said this year’s festival had record concert crowds.
A Flak 88 firing during a Battle of Normandy re-enactment at the 2015 Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge. (Photo by Rob Welton)
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Philip W Nipper says
“If it ain’t broke……….”. Often times us Oak Ridgers like to over think things, over study things and attempt to fix things that really don’t require fixing. Moving the date of the festival to the suggested time frame seems to me could interfere with school activities, college and high school sporting events, Halloween activities, craft shows, mountain fall color excursions, etc. Once we change the dates and “incorporate other activities over an expanded period of time” into an all ready successful event then we stand a good chance of failure. Booms Day in Knoxville is a good example how a simple, profitable and exciting event morphed over the years into something folks were just not that interested in seeing anymore. Although it lasted 20 years or so, it is no more. I believe the biggest success factor for the festival are the Friday and Saturday night shows. Big name bands/acts will produce good results with large ticket sales as we saw this year. If we want a fall festival then let’s have a fall festival. If we want to have something special for Veteran’s Day weekend then let’s look at that, however I say leave the Secret City Festival as is. Let’s not over think this and end up screwing it up.
Matt Bailey says
Thank you Mr. Nipper for expressing this far better than I have. Mr. Chinn offered to raise $1 million for a bridge (I believe that’s the correct figure). That was voted down, but here might be a good place to start. We are violating a fundamental rule of business, don’t mess with success. Why bring trouble to you when it finds you easily enough by itself?
Philip W Nipper says
Now don’t get me wrong. I am not opposed to change when there are clear and valid reasons for making change. I am opposed to change for change’s sake. I think possibly adding a day or two to the festival, ie. starting on Thursday and ending on Sunday would make sense. Include an old style “USO” type show with music from the ’40’s provided by our own community and high school bands and actors from the playhouse and high school could add an interesting element. Just an idea to illustrate that there are ways to make improvements to our festival without necessarily changing the time of year that it is held.
Mike Stevens says
I agree. I would like to see it consolidated on the 4th of July weekend. An example would be having the bands play Friday and Saturday nights. The reenactment on Sunday and the fireworks on Monday the 4th.
I think moving the event to November would eventually kill it. That may be the intent “making the event self sufficient in 5 years.”
johnhuotari says
A follow-up: Council did hear the report on these recommended changes on Monday, August 10, but did not vote on any of them. Council members expect to discuss the recommendations at one or two upcoming work sessions.