Coco Soul Kicks Off O’Fallon Jazz Series

O’FALLON PARK — Soon the smooth sounds of St. Louis jazz will once again be filling the summer night air in O’Fallon Park. For the third straight year, 21st Ward Alderman Antonio French and The Sheldon Concert Hall will bring an impressive line up of local musicians to play a series of free concerts in north St. Louis.

This year’s series kicks off with the sounds of Coco Soul on Wednesday, July 13 at 6:00 PM. Started in 2009 by Alderman French with the goal of restoring a sense of community to O’Fallon Park, the concert series has become a summer tradition for families and music lovers throughout the surrounding neighborhoods and across the city.

“Seeing so many people come together to enjoy great music in a beautiful setting like O’Fallon Park… That’s exactly what we had in mind when we started this thing. It’s so good to see it continuing to grow each year,” said Alderman French.

These free, weekly concerts have regularly drawn crowds of up to four hundred people. Series planners are looking not only to sustain this great turnout this season, but to expand its reach in the community.

The Incarnate Word Foundation awarded a $5000 grant to The Acts Partnership, a 21st Ward non-profit organization, to help fund the concerts this year. While it does not cover the full cost of producing the six-week program, it significantly reduces the fundraising burden of the organizers.

“We are so grateful for the generous support of the Incarnate Word Foundation,” said Starr Meek from The Acts Partnership.

“Their continued support of northside projects is really helping to fuel the transformation we’re seeing here in the 21st Ward,” added French.
Organizers also hope the jazz concerts help expose more St. Louisans to O’Fallon Park, which has experienced a transformation of its own in recent years.

Having fallen into disrepair after many years of neglect, the park has seen quite a bit of investment since 2009. New jogging track, free outdoor workout equipment, new playground equipment, renovated boathouse, and new basketball courts (which will be the site of the relocated annual NorthSide 3-on-3 basketball tournament on July 30).

These improvements are in addition to the construction of the new $20 million O’Fallon Park Recreation Complex currently being built and due to open around February 2012.

In addition to Coco Soul on July 13, performers at this year’s series include: Melvin Turnage (7/20), Tim Cunningham (7/27), Rich McDonough and the Rough Grooves (8/3), neighborhood favorites The Bosman Twins (8/10), and the fabulous Kim Massie (8/17).

All shows are free and start at 6:00 Wednesdays through August 17.

By DANNY JENDUSA
Summer Intern