Cultural Council Agenda and Packet 2023 09 21

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September 2023 Louisville Cultural Council Staff Report — Erica Schmitt Arts and Events Updates — Items Outside of the Cultural Council: "Street Faire" came to an end on August 11. Despite some rainy evenings, the season was a success — especially Dumpstaphunk, Shakedown Street, and The Petty Nicks Experience. It can be a challenge to find the "Goldilocks" bands for an event like Street Faire, with enough bands having name recognition, but not being so large as to cause safety logistics or public nuisance complaints, and we commend Street Faire for their efforts to find bands that are a good fit for the city. On 09/05/23, City Council approved the 2024/2025/2026 Street Faire contract, and on 09/12/23, the Street Faire Committee set the 2024 concert dates. The Labor Day and Fall Festival celebrations were a great success this year. The weekend started with a Friday night Senior Dinner, providing free food, live music, and raffle prizes to over 150 local seniors. Over 1,200 individuals marched, walked, danced, or rode in the 87th Annual Labor Day Parade, and over 80 pets participated in the Children's Pet Parade. The Fall Festival hosted a free petting zoo, live music from an Irish bluegrass band, 31 local vendors (handmade goods, locally made foods, and a few nonprofits — no mass-produced goods or commercial services among the vendors), and eight food trucks. We still have a smattering of venues rentals during this time of year. In August and the first two weeks of September, Steinbaugh Pavilion hosted a wedding and the Library's "Afternoon of Cultural Dance." The Louisville Center for the Arts was mostly unavailable for rentals due to CenterStage Theater Company's summer camp (through (Aug. 11), Coal Creek Theater rehearsals and performances, and the Louisville Art Association's annual show. The Louisville "Farmers Market" has a few weeks left of its 15th season, and closes on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. The market has booked musicians to perform every Saturday this season. They also work with high school musicians, strategically placing the musicians in sections of the market that receive less foot traffic. The high school musicians play for tips; the main musicians are paid by the market. The Farmers Market has different local farms and products each week. To help increase the availability of fresh produce for all, they accept EBT (SNAP or "food stamps"), and participate in the "Double Up Food Bucks Colorado" program, which matches whatever someone spends (up to $20 per visit), helping food benefits go even further. The day after the Farmers Market concludes, the ice rink moves into Steinbaugh Pavilion. When the 2022-23 ice skating season concluded, the City was informed that the rink operators would not be renewing their contract. Erica spent the spring researching ice rinks and connecting with other cities, hotels, and shopping centers that had outdoor ice rinks. She received quotes from several vendors who would be capable of running the Louisville ice rink, and brought the information to the City's Economic Vitality Manager, who secured a contract and funding for the 2023-24 season. The rink's former name, "WinterSkate" was trademarked by a former operator, and cannot be used. This winter, the brand new ice rink will reopen with a new name that was voted on by Downtown