Sun Valley's Festival Meadow could play host to popular musical talent Ben Harper this summer if the City Council approves the Sun Valley Center for the Arts' forthcoming special-event application.
Harper, a guitarist who has become famous for his unique sound consisting of pop, blues and gospel, is the most nationally prominent name in the four events scheduled for the five-acre parcel that sits just outside of Ketchum on the west side of Sun Valley Road.
Though none of the events was given the green light, at its meeting on Thursday, Feb. 21, the council did approve requested dates for reserving the meadow. With the exception of the Harper concert, the scheduled events have been held on the site in previous years. They include:
· Fire Services Appreciation Day, May 26.
· Ketchum Arts Festival, July 11-13.
· Shakespeare Festival, August 21-31, including the Renaissance Faire and evening productions of "Much Ado About Nothing."
While these three events have been managed within the city's municipal code regarding special events and aren't likely to face any roadblocks from city officials, the Harper concert poses a challenge because of his popularity and the size of the audience he would likely attract.
In a report to the council, Sun Valley Street Department Supervisor and City Events Coordinator Brad Mitchell stated that such a show would require significant planning.
"The concert being proposed by The Center is of much greater magnitude than our current city resources can effectively handle," Mitchell wrote. "For this event to successfully take place, it will require much greater planning and use of outside resources."
Mitchell added that although the details have yet to be discussed, The Center wanted to block out the date in order to proceed with negotiations with Harper.
Dan Mankin, performing arts director for the Sun Valley Center for the Arts, said planned construction of a gondola on the River Run side of Bald Mountain has made it impossible to use for the concert its usual location just behind the River Run Lodge, near Ketchum.
Mankin said the Harper concert would likely be around the same size as last fall's Kick Ash Bash, which drew about 5,000 people to the benefit concert.
Mankin estimated the Harper show would cost about $200,000 to produce and that it would require about $4,000 in extra police and fire services, as well as plans for parking and shuttle buses to the concert.
Legendary rocker Steve Miller was the headline act for the Kick Ash Bash, a large benefit concert at the Sun Valley Festival Meadow last fall.
Photo by Mountain Express
