FARMINGTON -- With a $1,000 payout ceiling for acts, it is unlikely, regardless of how popular The Beach Boys are with Davis County officials, that the group will perform at Antelope Island during the state park's proposed 2012 inaugural summer concert series.
Antelope Island State Park Naturalist Wendy Wilson told the Friends of Antelope Island board at its Feb. 1 meeting that her plan to bring concerts to the island this summer includes "not paying over $1,000" for any one act.
Wilson said she is seeking art grants to pay for the acts in an effort to avoid charging patrons any more than the $9-per-vehicle fee paid at the island causeway gate in Syracuse.
The groups she envisions playing the island amphitheater, a 100-seat outdoor theater generally used to provide nature talks to visiting school groups, will be low-key acoustical groups, "slightly amplified," she said.
On that note, Wilson asked the Friends board to purchase a portable sound system for the park so bands won't have to pack their own sound equipment on and off the island.
The board will revisit her request at its 7:30 a.m. March 6 meeting at the Memorial County Courthouse, 28 E. State St., Farmington.
"We need to determine if we want to do (these concerts) on an annual basis," said Barry Burton, chairman Friends of Antelope Island.
The plan is to "introduce something new" to the island by hosting one concert a month there from July through September, Wilson said.
Because of the nature of the island, it would be difficult to hold concerts in May and June, she said.
The intent is to promote the concerts using print media, email and the state park volunteer newsletter, Wilson said.
In the past, musical groups performed in the state park using a makeshift stage as part of the annual Buffalo Stampede celebration, usually held in early September.
Based on the success of those events, the Friends board is looking to expand on such island activities.
The amphitheater, west of the Antelope Island Visitors Center, seats up to 100 people, Wilson said. That seating number does not include the space in the theater where portable chairs could be placed, bringing the theater's capacity up to 300 people, she said.
Friends of Antelope Island is looking into a plan to replace the canvas top over the amphitheater.
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