Salem's fenced-in 2009 "Summer in the City"

Yesterday I hopped on my beloved Suzuki Burgman scooter and two-wheeled to downtown Salem, wanting to check out the 2009 Summer in the City vibe.

I'd read in the paper that Pepe and the Bottle Blondes were playing on one of the pavilion stages at 2 pm. And also that this year it was going to cost $7.50 to get in.

But in to what? I was curious.

Because this music and wine festival was being held on a couple of blocked-off streets. I guess my progressive politics has a libertarian side, because I wondered how it'd be possible to charge $7.50 to access public property.

When I got to Court Street and heard Pepe's salsa-style beat, I understood.

Standing on the sidewalk, I could hear the band just fine. I also had a decent view of the Bottle Blondes (I guess Pepe was with them; wasn't paying much attention to him) over a chain link fence that enclosed one of the three "pavilions."

Which is a pretty fancy term for rectangular chain link fencing that separated the wine and beer tasting in-crowd, who were willing to pay $7.50 ($10 on Saturday) for the privilege, from the common people like me who wandered the public sidewalks and streets freely.

The whole setup had a funny feel to it. Typical of Salem.

I appreciate the effort that went into planning and putting on the 2009 Summer in the City. However, walling off the center of downtown streets didn't produce a friendly, welcoming, inclusive atmosphere.

OK, maybe there is some sort of rule that wine and beer tasting can't happen in a public setting where, god forbid, a teenager might cop a sip of alcohol (which is probably the least consciousness-altering substance he or she would have imbibed last weekend).

If so, I wish the under-21 and over-21 separation could have been accomplished in a less chain link'y manner. The Salem Art Fair manages to do this in a much less obtrusive and prison-like fashion.

Heading down Court Street with some friends to eat at Venti's, which thankfully was accessible at no charge (and is my favorite downtown dining spot), I was struck by how empty "Summer in the City" looked. Almost depressing.

While we ate, the four of us dissected this year's downtown event. One woman had paid to sit in the Pepe and the Bottle Blondes pavilion while the rest of us cheapskates stood on the sidewalk outside.

She said that not one single person, not one, got up to dance. Would this have happened in Eugene or Portland? I doubt it. Only in Salem, where people sit on their hands to Latin music.

And chain-link off the center of their downtown streets for a city celebration. (Lisa Anne, another Salem blogger, had the same reaction to this that I did.)

Comments

[Stephanie]

I was also incredibly dissapointed by Summer in the City. It did nothing to embrace downtown, and instead estranged it. It choked off the city streets, and cut off access to the downtown shops. If I were a shop owner, I would be especially upset by this "festival."

I paid $10 to go see a great band, and it was the most sterile, soulless venue I've ever experienced.

I hope the organizers re-evaluate the purpose of this festival and open it up to be the lively, people-welcoming, Salem-celebrating event it should be!

[Rain]

Da Vinci days in Corvallis, many events at Portland's Tom McCall park are likewise fenced off. Yes, some is alcohol. Legally, a restaurant cannot have an outdoor cafe that serves alcohol without a fence, but some is economics. These things aren't for free and if people aren't willing to pay who go there, who is supposed to pay? Those who didn't want to attend?

[Liseanne27]

I have to admit, I did pay on Sunday to get a full review on the event (still working on that). I watched Pepe & the Bottle Blondes and was a little irritated at how cramped I felt. There was no room to get up and dance with the chairs, pushing people, and tables. I remember Pepe even commenting on how "intimate" the venue was, not a good set up for Salsa.