By Gary Ogle
gogle@wbcowqel.com
While Farmers-Citizens Bank is used to accepting deposits from the community, the bank has made its own deposit with the community during this Bratwurst Festival and last year.
The bank has underwritten concerts by Phil Dirt and the Dozers and Love and Theft this year, as well as one by Uncle Kracker last summer. The concerts are free of charge to one and all. For President and CEO Coleman Clougherty, the banking institution is interested in giving as well as receiving.
“The festival has such history in Bucyrus. We really saw it as an economic opportunity in the community for everybody to share in. That includes all the non-profit organizations that benefit from the booths they may have or the parking receipts they may get as well as the area merchants who experience an influx of people,” Clougherty said. “We just felt it was really important to give back to the community and try and breathe some life back in the festival. Hopefully that’s what we’re seeing.”
The concept behind the idea of a big free concert is simple – it’s fun and helps draw in people who in turn spend their money locally, be it at the festival directly or indirectly at the gas pump, in restaurants or hotels. Just about everyone connected with the local economy stands to benefit and everyone who comes downtown will have a good time.
“When there’s a name brand act out there, it certainly brings in the people,” Clougherty said. “It brings in a lot of people, number one people who are the fans of the act who might not come otherwise. And number two, even you are a regular attendee it’s a great evening to relax and enjoy some good music you’re probably familiar with.”
The concerts are truly a product of the entire staff at Farmers-Citizens, from helping find the acts that are booked to putting up the massive stage in the bank’s parking lot.
“We don’t have an unlimited budget so we essentially go to an entertainment booker who gives us sort of a list of who’s available in the price range we’re looking at,” Clougherty said. “Then from there we have a little committee that gets together and discusses who is there. That includes people from the bank as well as the Bratwurst Committee.”
There were a number of familiar names being considered for this year’s concert. They included groups from the past like Three Dog Night and the Village People as well as a current one Clougherty said they simply missed on the timing.
“We did almost sign Florida-Georgia Line who has a pop chart hit as well as a country hit,” Clougherty said. “Unfortunately they got a little too big before we were able to ink them.”
Clougherty also took a few moments to fondly remember another big proponent of the festival as it related to downtown activity, the late Harmon Guss.
“He was just a great man. He thought of the community before himself and was somewhat of a hero of mine when it came to that,” Clougherty said. “Last year’s Bratwurst Festival and the promoting of the concerts, he was just phenomena. He’s an example for many people to follow in his footsteps.”
Clougherty notes the plans are for the concerts to continue and for the bank to be involved.
“What we’ll do is we’ll look for people that number one that will number one bring an additional crowd into the festival,” Clougherty said. “Number two that we think will be enjoyable for everybody.”
The concert by Love and Theft tonight begins at 9 at the stage in the parking lot of the bank.