🔒Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center expansion aims to attract ‘big-name talent’

The Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center — home to the Hartford Symphony’s Talcott Mountain Music Festival every July and where top-rated talent like Willie Nelson, The Beach Boys, Darius Rucker, Earth, Wind & Fire and Harry Connick Jr. have performed — is in the process of getting a makeover.

As part of a seven-figure investment, the current 7-acre, town-owned bandshell in the heart of downtown Simsbury will add an approximate 3,000-square-foot building space to accommodate four dressing rooms, office and storage space, and restrooms both inside and outside of the building.

The goal of the pending expansion is to continue to attract big-name talent and give local nonprofits and organizations a place to conduct business.

“Right now, our talent is going into a rented trailer and they’d be upgrading to a building. If you are talent, you want to have a place where you can store your things and get changed,” said Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center Executive Director Missy DiNunno. “It’s private and you can have your own space, whereas the rented trailers are very much shared spaces.”

Construction at the Iron Horse Boulevard site is expected to take place in the fall of 2024 with the new building to debut in 2025.

Regional draw

For music and arts lovers, the arts center has become the destination spot for area residents and businesses, DiNunno said.

Its founding dates back to 2002, when the town acquired Baker Farm, which encompassed 400-plus scenic acres located between the Farmington River and town center. A temporary bandshell was erected, offering summer evening concerts for the next three years.

But, it soon became apparent that a new permanent bandshell was needed, thus the arts center took root and the new stage with better lighting and enhanced acoustics opened for business in 2005.

Wendy Mackstutis, the town’s first selectman since 2021, said “there are a few gems in town that have a regional draw. We want — with this expansion — to bring in even more acts, and expanded programming of a national nature.”

The arts center, Mackstutis said, has also been an economic boon for the town.

“You can come — watch a show from the lawn or a table — and get takeout food from one of our local restaurants or go to a package store and pick up a bottle of wine,” she said.

A public/private partnership between the nonprofit arts center and the town has led Simsbury to put up $350,000 for the bathrooms in the new space. Construction bids are expected to be between $980,000 and $1.8 million, DiNunno said. The project is expected to be paid for via fundraising and bonding money; town funds; and state grants.

The arts center is in the process of presenting the town with architectural drawings for the project.

Major talent

The arts center season runs from April through October and is where — in addition to big-name stars — comedy shows, lesser-known musical groups and charity concerts are also held. The pending building will allow groups, clubs and organizations to use it during the off-season, DiNunno said.

In addition, DiNunno said, expect some major talent to grace Simsbury in the next few years and especially after the expansion is completed.

“We are still working to nail down big-name talent,” DiNunno told the Hartford Business Journal, without revealing specifics. “We will have some big names; that is our goal and it’s what the community has told us they’d like to see.”

The bandshell — located near a playground and adjacent to a bike trail — can seat upwards of 10,000 people, DiNunno said.

Show prices vary. Music festival tickets are $25 each for lawn seats and $50 for table seats. But, for the Darius Rucker performance, for example, sponsor tables were $2,500 and lawn seats were $65 each, DiNunno said.

The COVID-19 pandemic did impact the performing arts center, leading to some cancellations or date changes, but its outdoor venue proved to be an advantage. It hosted 90-plus events in 2021 drawing 45,000 attendees.

It was less active in 2022, hosting 46 total events — ranging from athletic events/races, arts and crafts fairs, recitals, weddings, graduations, award ceremonies, and stand-alone performances — with 40,000 attendees.

The arts center has two full-time employees, two part-time workers and seasonal staff. It has an annual budget of about $500,000 and usually breaks even, DiNunno said.

In addition to ticket sales, which brought in $110,000 this year, revenue streams include individual donors; grant funders; venue and event sponsorships; concessions; and parking fees.