Music by the Sea not attracting college crowd

By Kayla Ward | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Photos by Gorge Gallardo

Flagler College junior Christine Young would attend more concerts if they had more publicity on campus.

“If word got around on campus and people got excited about it, then it would be something fun and new to do in St. Augustine instead of the usual clubs,” said Young.

The St. Augustine Beach Civic Association sponsored its eighth concert series this summer called Music by the Sea. The concerts are free and start in May, featuring a band a week that play on Wednesday evenings at the St. Augustine Beach Pier and Pavilion. Various local restaurants host the concerts each week, serving dinner for under $10.

This past Wednesday, Mojo Highway played to an audience of older couples and families. The pavilion and surrounding beach area were covered with lawn chairs and blankets as people gathered to hear classics such as, “Have I Told You Lately” (That I Love You), “Margaritaville” and “Mustang Sally.” The smell of Hurricane Wings filled the air as the sun set on the evening’s festivities.

Kathy White, a 51-year-old retired St. Augustine resident, cozied up with her husband while the two enjoyed their third concert of the summer.

“The crowds usually consist of older people and a lot of families,” White said. “Not usually many college students here.”

She and her husband keep a magnet on their fridge that shows the dates and bands of the entire series.

Flagler College junior Kayla Sullivan, said she has never heard of the Music by the Sea concert series.

“If it was promoted more on campus then more people would know about it and then I would go with a group of my friends,” she said.

She said that events on Facebook, Twitter updates and posters hung up around campus would be likely to catch her attention on the concert series.

There is one more concert left in this year’s series.

The Smokin Mirrors played on Sept. 22 as Sea Oats Caffe served dinner to the crowd.

The Navy Jazz Ensemble will wrap things up on September 29 with meals presented by Sunset Grille.

Some students, like freshman Dominic Needham, believe that Flagler College should let the students know more about events happening in St. Augustine.

“Flagler sent me an e-mail about an O.A.R. concert…maybe if they convinced Flagler to send out an email and I had heard about it then I might go,” Needham said about the concert series.

Music by the Sea draws in a crowd of locals each summer. Many Flagler students stay in St. Augustine between spring and fall semesters. With more publicity, some believe the S.t Augustine Beach Civic Association could expand its audience.