500 enjoy MIP Hijacked concert
Brickhouse.
Santa Lucia.
Brickhouse in the bandshell.
Playing to the crowd.
Appreciative audience.
ARTS/ ENTERTAINMENT — The bands played it cool under the Kamloops heat wave Friday night as 500 people listened, clapped, danced and kept hydrated through four hours of Music in the Park Hijacked at the Rotary Bandshell in Riverside Park.
Santa Lucia, Brickhouse and Jeni Thai provided them with everything from Latin rhythm to Folsom Prison Blues. The free event was hosted by B.C. Living Arts and Western Canada Theatre.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
It should also be noted, that the host organizations paid for all the entertainment on the night. We believe in quality entertainment and in bringing that to the community in accessible and engaging ways. The City of Kamloops helped with the event as sponsors, but we were the funders – in contrast to the rest of the Music in the Park line up. Just an FYI.
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This was a fundraiser – it was billed as such and one was able to support the organizations or not. Concerts are art and are engaging. To venture away from the standard nature of Music in the Park would have been disrespectful to the treasured series itself and to the attendees who come there to not be disrupted too too much from their usual casual lounging experience. If there is more financial support, then maybe we can provide more services and activities in other parts of the park, but the arts are not, and will never be Free, in reality – artists still need to make a living. But as it was, we had funds to provide exactly what we delivered – for a free event to garner awareness, and, to raise a modest amount of funds in return. If we delivered exactly what we promised, then I take the term “crafty” as a compliment. Also, according to Music in the Park personnel, it was estimated between 3000-4000 people attended throughout the 4.5 hour event. We were glad to present this FREE event and help raise awareness of both organizations and to engage the community in the arts and culture. Thank you for your attendance Shirley – we are glad you enjoyed the music.
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Agreed, there were a lot of people there and the music was good…and played later than the usual Music In The Park, but I was disappointed in what looked to be an underlying plot.
Rereading the newspaper article this morning “Park Hijacking” I see we got what they advertised: music, food vendors, and a place to buy a myriad of tickets. I can’t help conjuring up images of Living Arts and Western Canada Theatre offering up mini stage vignettes, buskers, and other imaginative, artsy, things for families to take in at the park, so I went. The layout had all the look of a venue created to fundraise: selling tickets and drinking wine in the wine garden (well, that’s artsy…calling it a wine garden). Repeat, the music was great and, what do you want for free?….but, it looked too much like a crafty way to create a market for their tickets. In that, it left a sour note….ss
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