Musical Mondays, the popular outdoor summer concert series held at Featherstone Center for the Arts for the past 21 years, has been cancelled this summer, the community arts center announced this week.
The weekly shows were held from June through August and featured Island musicians that drew crowds of up to 400 people. But with parking now constrained following the construction of a new campus, leaders at Featherstone said safety was a concern.
“It was a very difficult decision,” Featherstone director of development Posie Haeger said on Wednesday after a press release went out. “We’ve had recent openings that have really proven that [parking] is a struggle and we want this to be a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.”
Ms. Haeger said the Featherstone lot and surrounding area along Barnes Road do not have the capacity to accommodate the overflow of cars looking to park in the height of summer. She said complaints have flooded into the town of Oak Bluffs and Featherstone about traffic that has at times backed up as far as the roundabout.
“We don’t want to continue to frustrate the general public with traffic issues,” Ms. Haeger said.
Featherstone recently completed construction of two new buildings on the six and a half-acre campus that house a new gallery, several classrooms and administrative offices. Ms. Haeger said additional parking surrounding campus buildings was planned to be available this season, but the rough winter caused delays to landscaping upgrades, making them not yet usable.
Despite the setback, Ms. Haeger said the cancelled season is expected to be temporary.
“We are hopeful that by next season we can get back on a schedule of having some musical offerings,” she said.
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