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There was a time when bands played at 10th Street place 3 nights a week. The Red Pepper would help book and promote the shows and the bands would play until about 11:30 P.M. on hot summer nights. People would come out from the movies and find live music from our many local bands filling the street. There were few problems. The ones they did have were with bands played too loud or caused a few disturbances. The City of Modesto reacted by changing the rules. The new rules required a permit to be procured at a cost of $50 an event and that sound amplification permits were to be taken out from the police department. The operators of the establishment, which had since changed ownership and was now called Sharkey's Crab Shack, were able to support the music for a while, but they were then required to have two security officers every time an event was done in this space.
Since the security requirement was implemented there has not been any evening music in the plaza in the past year. There is no revenue in doing events like this. There is no way to pay for any of the expenses let alone $500 a night in security expenses. Modesto has been a town that has been very supportive of local music. It is time that we bring music back to the plaza and its time to make it easier to bring events here. The plaza is an all ages and family friendly environment. Good local music adds to the draw of the plaza and supports a lively downtown Modesto. As a community we have a responsibility to support our local artists. Let us not allow another summer to come and go without a plaza supporting a cornucopia of our region's music.
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