By Patrick Adrian
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SPRINGFIELD, Vt.— Springfield musician and DJ John Ellis said that this year’s Punk in the Park, an annual free music concert he has held for 14 years in Rutland, will be one of the last.
Ellis announced that Punk in the Park 14, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 7 in Main Street Park in Rutland, will be the second-to-last year, as he plans to retire the concert in 2020.
“It’s just a lot of work for one person,” Ellis said. “I’m so busy with work it’s hard to keep up with the fundraising.”
Ellis began the festival as a labor of love for punk music and the music circle he shared it with as a Rutland-area native. Even after moving to Springfield a decade ago, Ellis kept running the concert in Rutland.
“It’s a beautiful park,” Ellis said during an interview in May. “I think if I moved it to Springfield I’d have to call it something else.”
Turnout has dwindled in recent years, which he attributes to the natural effects of aging and time.
“As people get older they don’t attend as many concerts,” Ellis said. “And the concert doesn’t draw younger audiences because modern music has changed so much.”
At 38, Ellis lives a busy life with the full responsibilities of adulthood. He is a homeowner, a father of two children — ages 4 and 9 — who dedicates much of his schedule to earning a living and attending his children’s sporting events and extracurricular activities.
He also holds about four punk shows per year in his garage, which he converted to a non-commercial music venue called Spanky’s Dive Bar.
Ellis said fundraising for this year’s concert has been more difficult. Each year he needs to raise $1,200 to cover insurance, sound, tent rentals and bathrooms. He raises funds through event sponsors, donation campaigns and fundraiser events.
This year’s key fundraising event, Spanky’s Dance Party, was less successful than the previous year, when it raised $200 in donations. This year’s dance party on May 24 only raised about $80.
“I will actually have to pay out of my own pocket this year,” Ellis said.
Ellis received an addition $200 in donations from friends and two event sponsors, C&C Fireworks in Pittsfield, Vermont, and The Bookmobile in Rutland.
Running the event has mostly been a one-person operation, according to Ellis.
“I have to set it up in the morning and take it down that night,” he said.
While next year may be the final Punk in the Park, Ellis plans to continue hosting punk shows from his dive bar in Springfield.
“That will never stop,” he said.
He might also might try organizing a different music event in the future, though with a broader selection of music, and as an overnight event with camping.
“My son said he wants to take Punk in the Park over, but I told him he’ll have to wait until he’s ready,” Ellis said.
Punk in the Park 14 will take place from noon until 9 p.m. at Main Street Park on Sept.7. Seven bands have confirmed so far, and activities for kids will include face-painting and rock painting. The concert is a family-event and Ellis communicates with the musicians to keep content family-friendly.
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