I’m delighted to share that I’ve just completed a mini documentary about the 50th Anniversary of the Coronado Concerts in the Park. You can watch the full documentary here.
This project is near and dear to my heart because Coronado is my hometown. I’m honored and happy to collaborate with the non-profit organization that brings free concerts to the community and visitors every Sunday Memorial Day through Labor Day weekends.
Different from telling one person’s story, I wove in the many facets of several people who have made the concerts grow and evolve over the five decades. They began thanks to high school’s choir and music director in 1970 and then shepherded by another local, Mary Carlin, and eventually by her husband and a volunteer board of the 501c3. Plus, interviews with fans of all ages and a variety of music.
Those many dimensions meant a lot of scrapbooks, notebooks, and research to visualize the early years; and then at the opposite end of the archive spectrum, sorting through thousands of digital pictures and video (including with the various bands playing) captured since 2010. I embraced the story of the concerts and the tradition not just as a “thing” but as an experience where families have grown up, come together, celebrated birthdays, and just enjoyed a few hours of music in the park. Much credit goes to my fantastic and long-time work partner and editor, Dan Roper, who can interpret my script and voice and make it all come together, together!
Having videotaped many of those personal moments (with my phone and being the producer!) I wrote the script to include a few poignant visual moments including “we watch our children grow…” (Lily from wobbling to dancing!) and “our old parents stay young” (my mom dancing with others and her walker as she was into her 90s!).
The concerts are free, but dependent upon sponsors, donors, and weekly donations from attendees. Whether you’ve been to Coronado for a concert, or just appreciate a beautiful small-town story, I hope you’ll watch and enjoy my latest piece… that continues through the credits!