Public steps up to ensure Alpenglow

Seven concerts now on tap for summer season

Even in these shaky economic times, the public wants its Monday evening concerts and is willing to pay the price. There will be more than a full slate of Alpenglow concerts this summer, hosted by the Crested Butte Center for the Arts.

Alpenglow concerts are a longtime Crested Butte tradition. Performers play on the Center’s outside stage Monday evenings at 5:30. The community fills the adjacent soccer field with families, friends and food for the free music.
A last-minute fundraising campaign has ensured that there will be seven concerts this summer. A budget shortfall had threatened to pare that number down to four. The center’s board of directors had been trying to raise $40,000 since last March, to allow Center for the Arts programs to be funded through October. Alpenglow concerts would have been part of the projected cuts if the fundraising goal had not been met.
But as of a few weeks ago, the fundraising effort was still about $8,000 short. An appeal to the public resulted in the needed money being raised.
Executive director Jenny Birnie said the center had met its goal in early June but she had received a $5,000 donation as recently as this past Monday. “Alpenglow means so much to the community. I’ve been overwhelmed,” she said.
“The center isn’t deficit-free by any means, but the public response to supporting the Monday evening Alpenglow concerts is fantastic,” she said. “After the article in the Crested Butte News, I had people walk into my office and write a check. Obviously, Alpenglow is important to people.”
Birnie said that if the fund-raising goal had not been met, the center was planning on holding only four concerts in July. If the goal were met, six concerts would be put on. With the response from the public, a seventh Alpenglow is being scheduled for August 10, a local musician’s night. The first Alpenglow concert will be held June 29.
Birnie also gave credit to the business community. “A few weeks ago we didn’t have any Gold Sponsors. Now we have two that donated cash and two that are donating in-kind services,” she said.
 Leadership Learning Systems and Lewis and Associates Financial Services signed on as $5,000 Gold Sponsors for the summer. Crested Butte Mountain Resort and Crested Butte Lodging and Property Management are donating services.
“The local business community has really stepped up,” Birnie said. “And I want to thank all the individuals who contributed to make Alpenglow possible. It will be a great summer.”