MANSFIELD — Like moths to a flame, hundreds of people were drawn to the stage lights illuminating the Brickyard on Friday night for the inaugural show of the 2016 Final Friday Concert Series.
Concert-goers grinned from ear to ear while catching up with friends, eating food from the various vendors and swaying to the music.
Local musician Chase Beaire was among those in the crowd. He has attended several Final Friday Concerts over the past few years. “I like to support local music and the community,” he said.
Betty Woodside of Butler was looking forward to see her son, Dan DeVault, perform with The DeVault Ridge Band.
“I try to get to every one of his shows,” she said.
Mike Farnsworth of Mansfield was drawn to the event for the music.
“I love good music,” he said. “I like country, rock and roll, blues, jazz–anything that sounds good,” he said.
The show kicked off with a performance by Thee Rough Country Band. Kelly Vaughn followed, and the show concluded with a performance by The DeVault Ridge Band.
The performances were held on the Brickyard’s new stage, unveiled at a “bonus” Final Friday concert last September. The stage has officially been dubbed the Richland Source Pavilion after Richland Source entered into an agreement with Downtown Mansfield, Inc. to be its naming sponsor.
WMAN’s Tommy Barnes emceed the event, and Jeremie Allen of Red Ball Jets served as sound engineer.
Four more concerts remain: June 24, July 29, Aug. 26 and Sept. 30. Concerts are free and start at 5 p.m.
Morrigan Thompson of Mansfield said she appreciates the diversity of music that’s showcased in the series.
Farnsworth said he’s excited to see the Red Ball Jets, a local band that will headline the August show.
“The crowd is exceeding my expectations,” said Jamie Thompson, chief development officer at DMI, about an hour into the evening. “I don’t know that the first hour in on any of the shows in 2015 had the crowd that we have currently. There is no official way to calculate the mass of people, but I’m going to guess there are about 750 people.”
Local sponsors of the Final Friday Concert Series include Charles Hahn, Cleveland Financial, OhioHealth, The Phoenix Brewing Company, Pinnacle Building Services, Richland Source, Spaulding & Kitzler, Attorneys at Law & Lori Holden, and The Holden Agency.
Thompson said there are of number of things that help make the series successful, including consistent marketing, consistent branding, a selective choice of bands and the downtown.
“People love to be with their friends, they love music and they like the outdoors, so I think it’s a perfect storm,” she said.
