Inaugural Teen Rock Festival draws nearly 400

Published 4:30 pm Monday, August 2, 2010

Although triple-digit temperatures and high humidity wracked Shelby County July 31, the weather did not keep nearly 400 local teens and parents from rocking out at Veterans’ Park.

Between 300-400 people attended the Alabaster Summer Teen Music Festival July 31, which was organized by the Alabaster Parks and Recreation Department and featured six local bands performing throughout the afternoon.

Because the event was the first of its kind in Alabaster, Parks and Recreation officials were unsure how many people would attend the event, said Parks and Recreation Director Ricky Nance.

“To be honest, the numbers were a little disappointing,” Nance said. “I don’t know if it was the weather or what. It was one of the hottest days of the year.

“But most of the kids that came out stayed out all day long,” Nance said. “Everybody that came out really enjoyed the bands.”

The event marked the largest venue many of the local bands had ever played, and the musicians put on a top-rate performance for festival attendees, Nance said.

“The bands did really well,” Nance said. “You could tell they had really been practicing and preparing for it.

“We have been getting a lot of positive feedback from the bands,” Nance added. “They have been thanking us for putting the event on.”

The extreme temperatures and humidity at this year’s festival is causing city officials to re-think next year’s event, Nance said.

“Maybe if we move it to a different part of the year, we will have a better turnout,” Nance said. “I’m not really sure what time of year we would move it to, because you have high school football on Friday nights in the fall, and college ball on Saturdays.”

“We are just going to re-evaluate it to see if there’s any way we can make it better if we do it again next year,” Nance added.