Editor,
On behalf of Noblesville Main Street and its board of directors, I would like to provide a response to the letter to the editor from Sherry Scott (Feb. 14) regarding the Noblesville Main Street Music and All that Jazz concert series. It is important to share some clarification and provide direction on this topic.
As an organization, we are appreciative of the thoughts shared but would like to clarify that only one of the six shows in 2016 featured current high school talent. The other musical groups were favorites suggested by attendees of the series from prior years.
As with most NMS events, the Music and All That Jazz concert series is a free event extended to the community. We are diligently working to balance fundraising to support this event series while securing talent. It is important for the community to understand that in 2014, although a great series of concerts were held, it was done with great expense that was not sustainable. Efforts were directed to lower the financial burden for our organization and still provide this event for the community to enjoy at no admission charge.
Noblesville Main Street, an independent 501(c)(3) organization, is funded by revenue raised by our board of directors, corporate sponsorship as well as business and individual memberships.
I make this point to emphasize two tangible ways the community can support our organization as we seek to establish a more sustainable business and enhance the ways in which we serve our downtown. No. 1: Membership dollars go directly to cover administrative and event expense. The more members we have, the greater the options available to us including talent for free events. No. 2: We now have a board member focusing on volunteer engagement. Soon, we will work to proactively train event volunteers and help them to better engage with community events like this concert series.
Our board and office staff is very attainable and available for conversation and feedback. We encourage comments and concerns to be brought to us so that we can listen and collaborate.
Chris Owens, executive director
Noblesville Main Street