SYRACUSE – When Darin Lintner accepted the honorary role of bugermeister for Syracuse’s annual Germanfest, he knew his duties would include a keg tapping and keeping his beer stein waving.
The burgermeister’s job is to drum up the fun at the weiner dog races, ribfest and grand parade. Lintner thought it should also include a heart-pounding, voice-raising summer concert.
Lintner: “I guess for the concert I swung a pretty big hammer, thinking let’s really make a difference – let’s shoot for the stars. So this is our year two, we’re hoping that we can continue to grow.”
After an inaugural concert featuring Aaron Watson, changes are ahead for year two. The fence will be a little closer, electrical sources more plentiful and BlackHawk will be packing a few more amps.
Lintner: “BlackHawk is the band, so it’s a great party band atmosphere we’re going to have. What I’ve seen of them, I mean, they do a lot of everybody sings, everybody has a good time.”
Lintner said the grass field along the Little Nemaha River is a great setting for a wide open concert and a burgermeister turned burgermaestro.
Lintner: “You’ll hear that bell ringing a lot. It means the burgermeister is here. If you come to the parade, all of the past burgermeisters ride on a float and they’ll go through the parade like five times. They go to front, zip back and cut back in line. They have a good time.”
It’s a risk for the Gerfmanfest Committee to bring groups like BlackHawk, which had a Billboard number one hit and multi-platinum albums throughout the ‘90s.
Lintner said the financial risk means they could be ‘two and we’re through,’ but he is hoping by year three that people will know that the Syracuse is the place to be for second week of July.
Lintner: “It is a risk. We’re going to keep on taking it. I think more and more people just keep showing up. If you’re willing to show up , we’re going to have a great time.”
Gates open for the concert at 6:30 p.m. following Saturday’s Germanfest activities on July 13.
Another change this year will be more parking on the field west of the soccer fields and a transport between the sports complex and the concert site.
http://www.outhousetickets.com/Event/11769-GermanFest_2019_featuring_BlackHawk/
