Hope for 18th & Vine: Free Friday concerts may be on the way

Here’s the best little bit of news I’ve heard about 18th & Vine since Alvin Ailey moved into the almost-forsaken historic district: soon, we might have free Friday-night shows in the district’s Patio Terrace area.

“We’re hoping to do a different types of events — not just jazz, not just music. Alvin Ailey might put on some kind of a dance. We might get high schools. The Mutual Musicians Foundation might program certain Fridays,” says Denise Gilmore, president of the The Jazz District Redevelopment Corporation.

Her group has asked the city’s Neighborhood Tourism and Development Fund for $5,000 to put on Fridays at the Vine through the end of September. Gilmore says that would give them $350 to $500 to work with per show, so we’re not talking national touring acts, here. We’re talking homegrown talent, performers who might just want to play for the exposure.

That sounds like a bargain. Despite the city’s more than $30 million investment in the district’s physical renovation, what 18th & Vine needs is just regular love from everyday people. A couple hours of free entertainment on a dozen or so Fridays, by Kansas Citians for Kansas Citians, sounds way better than one weekend of (now cancelled) Rhythm & Ribs.

“Just an open-air concert that people could come and sit and enjoy,” Gilmore says. “If they want to bring something and eat it, fine. We just want to keep it simple to accomplish a goal.”  If all goes well, Gilmore says Fridays on the Vine could start as soon as June 26. We’ll keep our fingers crossed and our lawn chairs ready.

Meanwhile, here’s hoping these guys get a shot at one of those nights: