Great tans, it seems, were a byproduct of the first Saturday in the Park.
Several attendees mentioned the sun – and the 90-degree heat – in stories about the 1991 event. Attracting 12,000, the first Grandview Park staging featured Buckwheat Zydeco, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Ian More with Moments Notice and two local bands, The Sharks and Band Manners.
Saturday in the Park co-founders Dave Bernstein, left, and Adam Feiges are shown at Sioux City's Grandview Park bandshell in this 1991 photo.
Eager to get exposure for zydeco, Stanley “Buckwheat” Dural said he’d do anything to push his music – “even if it took jumping in a swimming pool and playing the accordion.” He didn’t, thankfully, but he did get the crowd interested in an annual event that has lasted more than 30 years.
In the Sioux City Journal archives, there are stories, letters and columns extolling the virtues of the summer event, particularly that first one. While the Grandview Park Bandshell was home to Municipal Band concerts, it hadn’t had something quite as elaborate as Saturday in the Park.
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Organizers Dave Bernstein and Adam Feiges were keen to use the location
“This shell won awards when it was built in the ‘30s,” Feiges told The Journal. “A person in the bandshell can have a conversation with someone 200 feet away.”
“It’s an intense thing for Sioux City to have and not use,” Bernstein added.
The two decided to give it a spin after driving through the park during the winter. They decided would be ideal for a large day-long blues festival.
Poster from the inaugural Saturday in the Park music festival held in Grandview Park in 1991.
Why blues?
Blues was their choice because it’s a great “everyday” kind of entertainment, Feiges said. And the cost of hiring bands was less than trying to fill it up with rock acts.
More important? The festival could draw crowds to Sioux City. “This kind of event could make Sioux City more attractive to young, just-out-of-college types,” Feiges said. “Hopefully, it will add to the cultural content of the town.”
As soon as the concert was over, residents were buzzing – Saturday in the Park was a keeper. City officials applauded the effort. Residents thanked the organizers for their tenacity and foresight.
The Neville Brothers perform during Saturday in the Park at Grandview Park in 2006. They were part of the second year of SITP as well.
An encore
A follow-up was a given. In November 1991, there was already talk about Year Two. The organizers said they wanted to expand crafts and food areas and “add a few attractions.” Even better? Since the event landed on July 4th, they’d have fireworks as the grand finale.
In the review of the second Saturday in the Park, I included this: “Thanks to an electrifying concert by The Neville Brothers, the Sioux City site is now our Hollywood Bowl, our hottest venue. Capable of hosting the very best in music, it should be filled all summer long with the top acts in rock, country, blues and pop.”
That didn’t happened but it has become a destination for many. Attendance hitting 30,000 has been common in most years. Big names – like Aretha Franklin, Santana, the Avett Brothers and B.B. King – have included it on their stops.
Fans cheer as Buddy Guy performs in 2022 at Saturday in the Park.
Over the 33 years, Saturday in the Park has had an eclectic mix – from country to pop to hip hop. Curt St. Cyr holds the record for most appearances – four – but one of last year’s headliners, Buddy Guy, is close by with three. Other favorites: Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers, the Avett Brothers and Santana.
Interestingly, if you had been to the 1992 SITP, you could have seen St. Cyr, Piazza and the Neville Brothers.
From the review: “The New Orleans-based brothers cover a wide spectrum of music. In addition to Nevillized charts of such standards as ‘Fly Like an Eagle,’ they have a touch of rap, a heap of blues and a lick of rock. They pack volumes of storytelling in their own hits and get a full workout from everyone on every song. Although brother Aaron is the one who’s most often recognized, he’s hardly the band’s sole talent.
“Brother Cyril, in fact, has the latest beat. He knows hip hop and isn’t afraid to step out from the pack on such stirring songs as ‘Let My People Go’ and ‘Sister Rosa,’ an anthem to the strides made by civil rights leader Rosa Parks.
“Cyril tied the songs neatly to the July 4th holiday and got the thousands who blanketed the park to rise in waves, their hands lifted in signs of peace. It was a stirring moment, topped only by Aaron’s near-a cappella version of ‘Amazing Grace.’ Punctuated by fireworks in the distance, it was perfect as patriotic moments get.”
Buddy Guy plays his guitar with a drum stick on the Main Stage during during his performance July 2, 2022.
John Fogerty performs on the Main Stage during Saturday in the Park at Grandview Park in Sioux City Saturday.
Thirty years ago
In 1993, SITP had been preceded by days of rain – a constant fear for organizers. But, by the time it started, the skies cleared and “chased the blues into Grandview Park.”
From the review: “Much more than a concert, much bigger than a street fair, the blues festival is easily shaping up as Sioux City’s premier attraction – a day for families and friends to eat, drink, chat and listen. It’s a people-watcher’s paradise, a blues lover’s bonanza.”
Today, that assessment still holds true. Big names (like Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King and Santana) have graced the stage. But the real joy comes from discovering someone you haven’t heard.
If there’s another byproduct, it’s the education it provides. The band you never heard of just might become your new favorite.