Music in the Garden Concludes its Summer Series

By Aaron Thomas

On August 14, Music in the Garden concluded its summer series with its last concert of the year, with Susan Grace and the ET Barnette String Band both performing sets on the drizzly August evening. From May to August in the University of Alaska Fairbanks Georgeson Botanical Gardens, local music artists gather to celebrate music and family fun. The event began 15 years ago and has been an enduring staple of summer fun in Fairbanks. 

This summer they hosted a lineup of numerous Alaskan artists such as Steve Brown and the Bailers, the Clarence Pate Project featuring Willie Blackburn, Sourdough Rizers, Ice Jam, Fairbanks Community Jazz Band and many others. Music in the garden also provides an opportunity for youths involved in the UAF Music Academy Summer Camp to perform in front of an audience. From jazz, to folk, to rock, and beyond—Music in the Gardens showcases a variety of genres for listeners of all types. At nearly every show, parked cars line the streets around the Botanical Gardens. In recent years the event has become popular enough to require a shuttle to conserve parking.

Photo by Aaron Thomas

The ET Barnette String Band performing at Music in the Garden.

Dozens of people gathered by the main stage sported umbrellas and raincoats to stay dry from the constant drizzle that continued throughout the evening. Despite the inclement weather, the mood was high and many of the audience members clapped along to the beat of whatever music was playing. Laughter and friendly conversation could be heard throughout the venue.

The garden was scattered with children playing games on the lawn and families gathering to enjoy the last of summer. People who preferred to avoid the drizzle took shelter under the gazebos to chat. 

Susan Grace was the first performer at the event and performed a solo set playing acoustic guitar and singing. Originally beginning her music career in the Detroit area, she moved to Alaska in 1985 to compose her music closer to nature. She has long been a community educator on environmental issues, working as a natural history interpreter and helping to develop camp habitat in Fairbanks. 

While Grace mostly performs in the Fairbanks area, in the past she has toured all over the country and performed at a variety of universities, concert halls, and schools.

Her set captivated the audience with its seamless blend of acoustic folk, solo vocals, and spoken word poetry. Grace’s music emphasised a message of peace and unity. Many of her songs had audience participation such as snapping along to a beat or repeating a chorus. She ended her performance with a Buddhist meditation on loving kindness.

In between sets, attendees walked around the venue and explored the various subsections of the botanical gardens. Most of the flowers in the garden were slightly past their prime, signaling the changing seasons. 

Most people congregated around the rotary pavilion and the display garden, with people filtered in and out of the event over the course of the evening. In the back of the garden, families walked through the rose maze and treehouse. 

The ET Barnette String Band was the closing performance of the evening. With their bluegrass originals and acoustic sound, the air was filled with the sound of their upbeat strings. With mandolins, banjos, guitars, and mulit-part vocal harmonies, the band’s atmosphere commanded the attention of the event goers. The ET Barnette String Band has played at Music in the Garden numerous times and has long been a community favorite. 

The band's lyrics are cheerful, playful, and reminiscent of old country love songs. Many in the audience clapped along or swayed to the beat. 

As the event winded down and the night got colder, people began to slowly pack up. For many, the last Music in the Garden is the harbinger of the end to the Alaskan summer and hearing live music in open-air venues.