Hundreds of people regularly attend Second Sunday concerts in Washington Park.

An earlier post on this blog discussed how Second Sunday at Washington Park in Macon, Ga. is a successful example of how the arts can play a significant role in community revitalization. During the hot Georgia summers, concerts are held in the evenings and are called “Second Sunday at Sunset.” In the spring and fall months, the event is held earlier. This month was the first of the two fall shows dubbed “Second Sunday Brunch.”

“Second Sunday started as a way to bring the community together, and it continues to do that. The idea is to showcase the College Hill Corridor as a wonderful place to live, work and play,” explained Nadia Osman, director of communications and outreach for the College Hill Alliance, a Knight Arts grantee. “It’s ideal for residents but it also attracts visitors to the area and hopefully those visitors become residents themselves.”

In years past, the concerts have been held from March through October, but this year the schedule was altered slightly.

“This year was a little different. We ran Second Sunday April through October, so we’ll be doing brunch time [in] September and October,” said Osman. “We are going to continue that into next year. The summer will be the time that it’s at night because it’s the hottest.”

The Vespers, a folk rock band from Nashville, perform at Second Sunday Brunch.

On stage for the September installment of Second Sunday Brunch were The Vespers, a folk rock band out of Nashville, Tenn.

“The Vespers have a really good folk rock sound,” continued Osman. “I’m very excited to have a band from out of town to showcase Macon to. I want to take them around afterward. That’s a side effect of the shows as well, that hopefully we create a great impression for musicians of the area.”

Second Sunday has become a integral part of the community. On September 9, Brandon asked Ashley, his girlfriend of about 3 1/2 years to marry him. In case you were wondering, she said yes.

Uniting the existing community with concerts helps fortify the existing community. Showcasing that community to outsiders who might be considering a move to the area offers the chance for sustained growth for years to come. For those considering a move, October offers the last chance of 2012 to enjoy a concert in a park and to find out what it means to be a resident of this community in the midst of revitalization.

“October we’ve got Coyote Bones coming down. That’s got musicians from Atlanta, Macon and Athens that have come together to form this group. And they are definitely a fun indie rock pop band,” explained Osman. “They don’t take themselves too seriously but do sound really good. And Heather Kemp does play a coyote bone, thus the name.”

Coyote Bones will play Second Sunday Brunch on October 13 from 1–3 p.m. The concert is free and open to everyone.