Penny Gross: Summer concert cutbacks are ‘heartbreaking’
Former Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross, the driving force behind the creation of the Spotlight by Starlight outdoor summer entertainment series, says it’s a “great disappointment” that the Fairfax County Park Authority has significantly cut back the number concerts this year.
There will only be eight Spotlight by Starlight concerts at Mason District Park this summer.
That’s down from 17 last year and a big drop from 2023 when there were concerts three evenings a week for a total of 31.
This year, the only concerts at Mason District Park are scheduled for Friday evenings, on June 26, July 10, 17, 24, and 31, and Aug. 7, 14, and 21.
Related story: Just eight concerts scheduled this summer at Mason District Park
There aren’t any children’s concerts scheduled at all at Mason District Park. Those shows, previously held on Saturday mornings throughout the summer, brought free live entertainment to many kids for the first time in their lives.
In addition, there will only be six international cultural heritage performances this summer at Ossian Hall Park in Annandale, down from 10 last year.
Gross calls the free summer concerts “the best thing we do as a community.”
“People bring their families; they bring guests. There is free admission and free parking. It’s only an hour, and it’s a perfect way to spend an evening,” Gross says. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to sample different kinds of music.”
It’s programs like this that bring a cultural experience to community members right here in Mason District.
The reduced schedule is a victim of the county’s budget cutting, which Gross likens to “cutting a tree down to a stump.”
“It’s really heartbreaking to see what we created reduced to a shadow of its former self,” she says. “We should be expanding, not reducing, the number of concerts.”
“In a $4 billion budget, the amount spent on summer concerts is like change on top of the dresser,” she says.
Related story: Fewer children’s shows and cultural concerts scheduled this summer
Mason District was the first district to have a regular program of summer concerts, which Penny Gross advocated for in 1985. The Spotlight by Starlight series was officially launched in 1987 but really got going in 1991, she recalls.
The cultural heritage nights at Ossian Hall Park – featuring music and dance from different countries – started in 2011.
Gross went to just about every show unless she was out of town, announced the performers from the stage, and reported back to the Park Authority on any issues, such as whether the group took too long to set up or the music was too loud.
Since a donation box was installed at the Mason District Park amphitheater, the Spotlight by Starlight concerts have raised about $4,000 to $5,000 a season for the Fairfax County Park Foundation, Gross says.
One of the things Gross is most proud of during her time as supervisor was rebuilding the amphitheater quickly after it caught fire from a lightning strike in 2004.
Now she plans to work on bringing the Spotlight by Starlight summer concerts back to a full schedule.
The city of Herndon, Manassas, has free live family bands..Reston town center has free band lineup..Prince William has free bands. It is unfortunate that the county cut out certain entertainment..But the county has a high deficit due to poor budget management over the last 10 years..thanks
I disagreed with Penny Gross on many issues but her advocacy and commitment to summer concert series was an area of agreement. I know she put her heart and soul into developing the Concert Series. Yes, she was always present unlike our current Supervisor Jimenez. I did not see him at one concert last year. Perhaps if he taken time to attend he would have seen how impactful the concerts were to the community and advocated more forcefully against the cuts.
Sad to see Fairfax County making cuts to the budget that negatively impacts residents of all ages.
Assume that each performing act gets an average of $1,000 for their performance (some get less, some get more, but $1,000 average is probably on track). Reducing from 17 shows to 8 shows saves a WHOPPING $9,000. Reducing from 31 shows saves $23,000. That’s it. If we eliminate one Fairfax County lawyer position, that would likely fund the entirety of the concert series. It really is true that the more you pay in taxes, the less you get in services. Property taxes keep going up. We have money to literally dump rocks and pick them up, money to paint over pickleball lines, money to throw at a leaf service that barely collects leaves. But kids concerts at an already established amphitheater (which is an outstanding venue neighborhoods would kill for – look at Lubber Run in Arlington)? No way! Fairfax county continues its miserable record supporting arts in favor of wasteful slop. Prior poster mentioned Reston and Herdon. MoCo kills Fairfax in arts support.
Got to pay for more Bike lanes…
Very sad indeed. It’s symptomatic of a once enviable County that is in a rapid decline, particularly in its older neighborhoods. The County leadership has failed us and thrown away the vibrant wealth and community spirit that once branded Fairfax.
It’s hard to get it back when you squander your best assets for political leanings that are no longer fruitful and relevant!
It must be the wrong kind of “art district” for Supervisor Jimenez. Why was he even elected?
If you want to see some of Mason‘s Best art check out all the garbage at the Seminary Road exit from Columbia Pike near the homeless shelter. I’m certain a sculpture can be made out of all that debris, there’s even furniture there for the taking. That roadway could be called the Mason Galleria!
Jai Cole strikes again.
Even though the increase in revenues generated by Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors approved (after being rejected by Fairfax County voters twice) new meals and restaurant tax are insufficient to fund the previous slate of concerts in Mason District Park, I am holding out hope the revenue to be generated through Virginia’s upcoming legal retail marijuana market will be sufficient.
Or maybe, a significant employer or a new retail marijuana emporium or casino based in Fairfax County will sponsor the concerts.
Keep hope alive.
Our Mason District Supervisor is not working are for our district. His communications are few and far between. Compared to the communications in Braddock district (which a friend forwards to me), Mason District communications are worthless.
I am also saddened by the decrease of concerts/other activities at Mason District Park. There is nothing on the program list that makes me want to attend any of the concerts this year. Previously, we attended many concerts/programs both as a couple and with our son. Guess our current supervisor will probably show up but only if there is a photo op.
To be honest tho – the gnats and mosquitos are pretty intense and this area (greater NoVa) has tons of free music events all summer long and often on overlapping nights. This is not a big loss – just a little fat trimming. The funds saved could be applied to zoning enforcement – to stop illegal boarding houses and used car lots in our once beautiful family neighborhoods.
Penny was the heart and soul behind the very popular concert series in Mason District park. I went to many concerts and she was at every performance. The current supervisor is MIA and clearly has no interest in this entertainment program for his constituents. He is more interested in raising the meals tax to 10% despite Fairfax residents having rejected it twice in countywide referenda votes.
Thinking of all the harsh criticism that Penny Gross received from commentators on this site while she was in office. Especially those who complained about a mythical government building to be built and named in her honor on an empty lot and temporary park next to the Acura dealership—now slated to become the site of an affordable apartment building.
I would hope that Penny could rest on her laurels and enjoy her retirement and someone else in this community pick up her baton.
So far, I have heard from no one except from certain art lovers that Mason District is better represented on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors since Penny retired.
Penny may be too classy to say it, but I am glad that all those harsh critics of Penny who begged for the day Penny left office — those critics who still reside in Mason District — got what they wanted, good and hard.