After spending my first summer in Saratoga, I must say I’m pretty blown away by how many events are here in the Platte Valley. As you may recall from a previous column, one of my concerns about moving to a small town with no big cities nearby was the lack of entertainment, or so I thought at the time. After being here for half of a summer, I’m convinced that our Valley has just as many fun summer events going on as any major city across America. The biggest surprise to me is how much we have going on in terms of live music performers, something you wouldn’t expect a lot of in an area with less than 3,000 people.
So far this summer, our own Platte Valley has had well-known country singer Neal McCoy, the Wyomericana Caravan music fest and the Freedom Fest music festival.
Future summer music-filled events include the Grand Encampment Cowboy Gathering, the WHAT Fest, Power at the Pavilion, and the Encampment Community Barbecue/Music in the Park. The great things I’ve noticed about the live music fests around here is that they are low-priced, the crowds are small and not overwhelming and you get to see more than one artist perform for your buck. Plus, based on what I’ve heard and seen so far, the local or lesser-known artists who perform here are just as talented, or even more so, than the “mega-superstars” you have to cough up big bucks to see at major arenas or stadiums with thousands of other rabid fans.
I recently came across a June article from the Christian Science Monitor that said the average ticket to see the Rolling Stones, for the band’s first seven North American shows in 2013, cost a whopping $355.14. Sure, I like the Stones but I would never pay $350 a ticket to see those guys, who are now 70 years old or older, trying to still strut their stuff on stage in a gigantic, overfilled venue. Who would pay that much when for much cheaper you could see lesser-known artists who are just as good or, dare I say, even better when it comes to being musicians and live performers?
Another plus for the concerts here is that our small venues, like The Yard or the Platte Valley Community Center, make you feel up close and personal with the performing artists, and you even have the chance to meet and shoot the breeze with them after the show. While watching one of the mega-superstar artists at a major arena or stadium, the band is usually far enough away from the crowd to give you the feeling that the guys are these “untouchable” rockstars who are only there for entertainment purposes. And good luck trying meet Mick Jagger or Keith Richards after a show. It’s not ever going to happen. With our shows here, it’s cool to be right there in front of the artists as they perform and even get to chat with them after their set is through.
So, even though we may not get the mega-superstars here, with all the fun concerts that have happened and will happen in the Platte Valley this summer, I’ve realized that there’s no need to go to Denver or another close-by major city to see great live music, or even any other kind of entertainment. We have it all right here in the comfort of our own Valley.
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