Barrie Advance

 

June 29, 2005

 

With the impending Live 8 concert, and the attention it will bring to Barrie, I wonder if the true destiny for Molson Park (sorry, it will always be Molson Park to a lot of us), or for at least part of the property, should be as a concert venue.

 

For many years, it has served in this capacity well, so why not keep it as a permanent concert venue? Take a look at the line-up of performers scheduled for the Molson Amphitheater in Toronto, a comparable outdoor venue. All those performers could just as easily be performing in Barrie, and quite frankly, I would much rather see a concert in Barrie than Toronto anyway.

If we aggressively seek the hot acts, they will come to Barrie. Now, I know that this option would not bring a 'world-class' lifestyle centre or high-paying industrial jobs to Barrie, but it would allow Barrie to keep something it already has: a big chunk of green space where people go to listen to music.