Why A Country Music Festival Coming To Clinton Is A Huge Deal
The City of Clinton is working on bringing a Country Music festival to town next year. Plans were discussed Tuesday evening during a city council meeting between the council, the Clinton Parks & Recreation Department, and USA Concerts, the concert consulting firm the city would partner with on the festival.
After last night's city council meeting, plans are moving forward to try to bring the festival to Clinton which is a really big deal. Why is it such a big deal? This will help begin to put Clinton on the map as a destination town.
On Tuesday night during a city council meeting in Clinton, Mayor Scott Maddasion opened the meeting by giving the floor to Josh Eggers, Clinton's Park and Recreation Director, to discuss a major opportunity for the city of Clinton: bringing a Country Music festival to town starting in 2023.
According to the council meeting report, Mayor Maddasion and Director Eggers have been working closely with Wayne Klein from USA Concerts to bring a concert series called Tailgate N Tall Boys to Clinton’s Riverfront. USA Concerts has previously operated successful Country Music Festival-based concerts under the Tailgate N Tall Boys label in Peoria, IL, Bloomington, IL, and in addition in 2022 are slated to host the series in Taylorville, IL, and Auburn, MI.
In the city council meeting video, Eggers said that he and Maddasion were kicking around the idea of hosting a major concert on Clinton's riverfront. That led to Mayor Maddasion meeting with Clinton business owner Brent Smith, The Frontier Again, who connected with former B100 radio host, Red Hot Brian Scott, who led them to USA Concerts Owner/President Wayne Klein and his team.
Klein and his team came to Clinton and were impressed with Clinton's riverfront. That visit led Klein to determine that Clinton, and its geographic location, would be an excellent opportunity to expand the concert series in 2023. Being so impressed, Klein and his team agreed to host the Tailgate N Tall Boys concert series as a Co-Promotion (Co-Pro) with the City of Clinton as its 50/50 partner.
While the contract between USA Concerts and the Clinton City Council will need to be approved, why is this such a huge deal? As your resident born-and-raised Clintonian, I'm here to explain.
It Finally Gives Clinton Residents Something To Do... In Clinton
I guarantee you if I asked my friends in Clinton, "what do you wish Clinton had?", they would tell you "something to do!" Yes, there are events in the City of Clinton that happen throughout the year, but nothing that "puts Clinton on the map."
The last major festival to happen in Clinton was Clinton Riverboat Days. That ended almost ten years ago in 2012. Declining ticket sales, participation, and everyone's complaining about ticket prices killed Clinton's major summer event that began in 1961.
The Tailgate N Tall Boys concert series will bring in major and current country artists to Clinton. These are the artist coming to Bloomington, IL this year for their Tailgate N Tall Boys concert series:
It Brings Money To Clinton Businesses
Klein made a great point about economic dollars that could come to Clinton because of this festival, even if the festival isn't successful in year one. Klein said,
"Let's say we lost $200,000 on the festival. I lose [$100,000] and you lost [$100,000], it's a major win for you guys just with the economical impact. That could be year one. Year two, we crush it and you get the economical impact. Year three, it just keeps rolling."
Whether you like country music or not and you're a resident of Clinton, this could be a major win every year for businesses in Clinton. This is an investment in the community. While it's nice to have something to like I mentioned in my first point, this is truly meant to better the community in Clinton.
It Brings People To Clinton To Prove Them Wrong
There is so much Clinton has to offer and this festival will bring people in not only to experience this Country Music concert series but to experience all of the other great things that Clinton has going on.
It gets tiresome defending my hometown of Clinton because I know the great things about it. But words only go so far. An event like this gives people a reason to come to town to find out what Clinton really is: a beautiful town on the Mississippi River with great people, businesses, and a lot to offer.
Clinton and the people who live there are busting their asses to make the city better. If this gets passed, I really hope that not only residents and businesses get behind this, but those in the Quad Cities and surrounding area get it out and give the city of Clinton a try.
When Will Tailgate 'N Tallboys Take Place If Passed?
There isn't a date released. Right now, the Clinton City Council and USA Concerts are working on a contract.
I just want to give everyone involved this friendly reminder: The Mississippi Valley Fair is the Tuesday to Sunday of August every single year.
Let me also give my unsolicited advice when it comes to picking a date: Consider the second weekend of July as a strong option.
See the discussion from Tuesday's Clinton City Council meeting below: