Schedule includes Toby Keith Tribute Band
By Barb Pert Templeton
The annual Music in the Park series in Algonac is on the books for 2025.
Members of the Algonac City Council approved a special event permit for groups to perform at Riverfront Park on Thursdays, from 7 to 9 p.m. on June 5, 12, 19 & 26, plus July 10.
The concerts are sponsored by various local businesses and organizations and the city is working with the county to secure a stage for each performance.
During a March 4 city council meeting Mayor Rocky Gillis explained that Fire Chief Joe Doan took over the responsibility of booking the concert series this year as Clay Township Recreation Coordinator Cindy Babisz is retiring in June.
The mayor invited Doan to step to the microphone and talk about the concert series for 2025.
Elvis impersonator Darren Hagel will perform at the Riverfront Park in Algonac on Thursday, June 26 at 7 p.m.
Specifically, Gillis asked about the June 19 concert a Toby Keith Tribute.
“It’ll be great entertainment for the community and that evening we plan to close M-29 because we hope to have a larger crowd than normal,” Doan said.
Gillis said it’s going to be a pretty exciting year and he wanted to thank the chief for all the work he put in lining up all the concerts.
“Not only just a fire chief and a pretty face, he’s got other talents,” Gillis joked.
Councilman Michael Bembas asked it the city’s partners down the street in Clay Township plan on having their concerts too this summer.
“Trustee Maureen Boury contacted me today and she will be working on putting a schedule together for Clay Township,” City Manager Denice Gerstenberg said.
The safety plan
The safety plan for the concerts filed with the special event permit said food trucks and handicapped parking will utilize the paved shoulder creating a buffer (on the East Side of St. Clair River Drive) with a Class III barricade to mark the zone. Pedestrian cross walk makers will be used at the cross walks and spectators will sit in the grassy area at Riverfront Park. Golf carts/side by sides will park in designated areas behind the lawn chairs and St. Clair County Sheriff will perform routine patrols.
Special instructions for the Toby Keith event on June 19 will have St. Clair River Drive closed in both directions from in front of 1025 St. Clair River Drive to Columbia Street. Detours will be posted from Columbia to Howards streets and Washington to Clay streets to M29 (Business can be accessed and this will not affect the Walpole Ferry.
The concert stage on June 19th will be placed in M29-Proper with barricades to be used (like Class III etc.) Vehicles will be parked across intersections and driveway access points.
Bembas said he’d like to see another level of security along St. Clair Drive where the map states parking is for food trucks and handicapped parking.
“I think it will add a level of safety without causing any kind of headache to have that whole lane of parked cars there,” Bembas said, noting that if an out-of-control driver came thru he’d hit all the cars long before any people could be injured.
Councilwoman Dawn Davey said her only concern with that is having a kid run into between two parked cars and not seeing what’s going by.
St. Clair County Sheriff Mat King said they can always put a snow fence up to keep the kids from running in between the cars.
“I’d have to really look at the plan, I think it’s important to plan ahead with this and we’re certainly willing to partner with you guys in any way to make sure we address that concern,” King said.
Food truck plan
The event permit stated that the food truck this year will be Motor City Dawgs. It’s a 30’ food service trailer with a complete state of the art kitchen owner by a Harsens Island family and it will be meeting the catering need of the community during the concerts. They will have a different menu for each event, anywhere from smashed burgers to chili dogs, salads with homemade dressing, grilled cheese with tomato and fresh basil sandwiches, slow roasted meats from Easter Market and French fries.
Councilwoman Wendy Meldrum asked if the city is only allowed to have one food truck at the concerts?
“I see here it’s the (Motor City) Dawgs and it’s not that it’s a bad food truck buy why just one food truck,” Meldrum said.
The mayor said sometimes it’s a scheduling issue with the food vendors.
Having more than one food truck can be an issue because it cuts down on the vendors profits, the crowd isn’t large enough for more than one, Bembas said.
“One year we had a couple but it wasn’t financially good for more than one and we had this one last year and everybody seems to love them,” Bembas added.
“They do a phenomenal job, they can feed that whole park efficiently, they have a staff with five or six people there and a state-of-the-art kitchen,” Councilman Jake Skarbek said.
Meldrum said she wasn’t saying anything negative about the vendor at all, in fact she had a hotdog and it was good, she just wondered if more than one vendor was allowed.
City Manager Denice Gerstenberg said they can have more than one vendor and they’ve tried it but vendors won’t come back because they didn’t make enough money.
