Little Falls Ushers In Summer Concerts

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Tonight at Little Falls' Memorial Park, North Jersey rock-and-roll band The Kootz will launch the township's inaugural summer concert series. In addition to providing entertainment, the Little Falls Alliance for a Better Community hopes the four free shows planned this summer will invigorate local businesses.

"This helps the businesses in the town," Janice Alvarez, event coordinator, said Wednesday. "These concerts will hopefully bring people out, not just from Little Falls, but from a lot of the neighboring communities."

Alvarez said the idea for the outdoor concerts came last year while the Alliance was planning a singing competition. Proceeds from "Idol Search" — which attracted more than 300 people paying $15 each to attend — went toward organizing and producing summer concerts.

Alliance President Renea Hoyt-Shapiro said the December event raised nearly $5,000.

This summer's concert series aims to appeal to a variety of audiences; the other shows will feature a soul group, a Frank Sinatra impersonator and a young modern rock band. Alvarez said the acts agreed to perform at a reduced fee to help the series get off the ground.

Musician Glenn Taylor of the Caldwell-based Kootz said it was an honor for the band to be asked to perform.

"I feel great they're putting their faith in us," Taylor said Wednesday in a telephone interview. "We have a lot of fans in the area, so there is a homecoming aspect to it."

The Township Council supported the Alliance's event plans, but wanted $2,400 to provide security from police officers. Hoyt-Shapiro said she felt the fee was too steep for a non-profit organization holding free concerts.