Rose Tree Park hosts 35th year of summer festival
With its extensive lineup, ample seating and low ticket cost of zero dollars, the Delaware County Summer Festival in Rose Tree Park has become a staple of outdoor entertainment. Now in its 35th year, the program stems from a pre-bicentennial celebration.
Marion Nelson started the festival in 1975, though not single-handedly, she said jokingly. The county had just acquired the Rose Tree Park land, which featured a band shell, and Nelson said it was a great place to showcase local talent.
“We didn’t have any money, so we had to depend on people,” Nelson said. “And we had to look for people who would [perform] for exposure. There were a lot of really great performing groups and performers in Delaware County, and we put together a pretty ambitious schedule.”
The 1976 show had a very strong bicentennial flavor. Nelson said her committee managed to get wagon train segments coming in from different parts of the country to perform at Rose Tree as they were on their way to perform at Valley Forge National Park. The July 4 performance featured the United States Bicentennial Armed Forces Band and Chorus.
After the summer of ’76, there was talk about discontinuing the event, but the county council recognized the popularity of the free concerts, and the beat went on. For the past 15 years, the festival has been a nine-week affair, down from the original 10-week schedule, and about ten years ago, the tired band shell was replaced by an acoustically-friendly amphitheater. The county provides all the manpower to plan, schedule and stage all of the performances through the parks and recreation department, and the performers are paid with contributions from corporations or residents.
Beth Chapman, marketing coordinator for the Delaware County Department of Parks and Recreation, said she sifts through demo tapes and press kits from those looking to perform in the festival as early as autumn.
“There are way more people who want to play than we can possibly fit in a season,” she said. “It’s very popular, and the performers always want to come back. We look for balance and variety, and have to rotate [performers.]”
Some acts perform for less money than they normally would, and the military bands perform for free, she said.
Some of this year’s biggest acts are Beatlemania Now, which performs July 29 at 7:30 p.m., and Blackthorn, which performed June 28. Both always draw large crowds, Chapman said.
“This area has so many talented band, it’s just incredible,” Chapman said. “We get inquiries [from bands looking to play] from as far away as Connecticut and Colorado, but we try to keep it local.”
The festival runs through Aug. 9, with most performances starting at 7:30 p.m., and Chapman said crowds range from 500 to 5,000 people, depending on the act.
Nelson, from Springfield, said she hits up the festival about three times each season. “There is a legion of people who look forward to this each year, and really enjoy it,” Nelson said. “The venue is absolutely beautiful.”
For more information on the Delaware County Summer Festival at Rose Tree Park, visit www.co.delaware.pa.us/summer/index.html
Marion Nelson started the festival in 1975, though not single-handedly, she said jokingly. The county had just acquired the Rose Tree Park land, which featured a band shell, and Nelson said it was a great place to showcase local talent.
“We didn’t have any money, so we had to depend on people,” Nelson said. “And we had to look for people who would [perform] for exposure. There were a lot of really great performing groups and performers in Delaware County, and we put together a pretty ambitious schedule.”
The 1976 show had a very strong bicentennial flavor. Nelson said her committee managed to get wagon train segments coming in from different parts of the country to perform at Rose Tree as they were on their way to perform at Valley Forge National Park. The July 4 performance featured the United States Bicentennial Armed Forces Band and Chorus.
After the summer of ’76, there was talk about discontinuing the event, but the county council recognized the popularity of the free concerts, and the beat went on. For the past 15 years, the festival has been a nine-week affair, down from the original 10-week schedule, and about ten years ago, the tired band shell was replaced by an acoustically-friendly amphitheater. The county provides all the manpower to plan, schedule and stage all of the performances through the parks and recreation department, and the performers are paid with contributions from corporations or residents.
Beth Chapman, marketing coordinator for the Delaware County Department of Parks and Recreation, said she sifts through demo tapes and press kits from those looking to perform in the festival as early as autumn.
“There are way more people who want to play than we can possibly fit in a season,” she said. “It’s very popular, and the performers always want to come back. We look for balance and variety, and have to rotate [performers.]”
Some acts perform for less money than they normally would, and the military bands perform for free, she said.
Some of this year’s biggest acts are Beatlemania Now, which performs July 29 at 7:30 p.m., and Blackthorn, which performed June 28. Both always draw large crowds, Chapman said.
“This area has so many talented band, it’s just incredible,” Chapman said. “We get inquiries [from bands looking to play] from as far away as Connecticut and Colorado, but we try to keep it local.”
The festival runs through Aug. 9, with most performances starting at 7:30 p.m., and Chapman said crowds range from 500 to 5,000 people, depending on the act.
Nelson, from Springfield, said she hits up the festival about three times each season. “There is a legion of people who look forward to this each year, and really enjoy it,” Nelson said. “The venue is absolutely beautiful.”
For more information on the Delaware County Summer Festival at Rose Tree Park, visit www.co.delaware.pa.us/summer/index.html
