History of Concerts on the Green

Back in 1985, Bernard Argent went to work for The Computer Shoppe in the Great Falls Village Centre. He became friendly with the manager of the Village Centre, Hester (Nettles) Ailes, who encouraged Bernard and his now wife, Barbara Tresidder Ryan to present events in the Centre green. They successfully organized "Concerts on the Green" in 1985 or 1986, a summer series of eclectic outdoor concerts on Sundays for 6 to 7 years. To subsidize them, they put together a program and sold ads to local businesses in downtown Great Falls. They passed baskets and gave out buttons declaring donors supporters of the series. Every week, they set up, broke down and ran the sound system all as volunteers. During the run of these concerts, Hester led a drive to build the original gazebo. It offered a place for the bands to play. She also wanted a place to unite the community. Hester also convinced Barbara to establish a craft fair that grew and grew until the year the owners of Great Falls businesses decided to hold a fireworks exhibition on the same weekend that burned holes in the vendors' tents! No more Village Centre Music, Arts and Craft Festival. During the Concerts on the Green, when it rained, Bernard and Barbara asked the Old Brogue if they could set up in the back room. The Brogue allowed this. Bernard and Barbara approached the owner of the Brogue, Mike Kearney, in 1989 to see if a concert series of Celtic music in the Snuggery would be possible. The Brogue itself had only been in existence a few years at that time, and Mike thought it might be a good idea on Sundays. The rest is history: the series, thanks to Mike's deeply appreciated cooperation and support, is still going every summer as part of Celebrate Great Falls!

Thank you to Barbara Tresidder Ryan and Mike Kearney for providing this history.