by Patti Connor
Staff Writer
Despite an expected decrease in contributions fueled by the events of Sept. 11, the St. Johns River City Band’s fundraising efforts remain — for the most part — on target.
The group will continue offering its free lunchtime concerts at Hemming Plaza and is considering adding an occasional evening show.
But like most non-profit organizations, it is always vulnerable to fluctuations in the economy.
“The market is up and down all the time and that’s always had an impact on our fundraising,” said Executive Director Bobi McGinnis. “Like most organizations, this year we’ve seen people holding on a little tighter to their pocketbooks. However, the numbers are pretty much the same as last year. We haven’t really seen a decrease in the level of funding. It’s just that we’d hoped to bump it up a notch.”
To date, they’ve raised $900,000 for their capital campaign, about half of the intended target of $2 million. Monies from the campaign will go to the restoration of Historic Snyder Memorial, the band’s headquarters.
One of the ways they’d hoped to do that was by adding the new position of development director. Although plans called for that position to be filled by Bonnie Arnold Knight, the group decided last month to eliminate the position.
Its two biggest annual fundraisers are Oktoberfest, held the last Friday in September — this year the event will feature a variety of events, including polka concerts and antique Volkswagens — and a wine tasting held in August, featuring a silent auction and 100 different kinds of wines.
Last year, the group staged “Downtown Dazzle” to commemorate its 10th anniversary.
“Although we will not be doing that this fall, there has been talk of doing it again in the spring,” said McGinnis.
Founded in 1984, the River City Band presented its first concert series the following year. Staged at Hemming Plaza during the spring and fall, the free concerts quickly struck a chord with downtown workers. According to McGinnis, this year’s Memorial and Independence day concerts each attracted almost 500 people.