SIOUX CITY | A quarter century, a silver anniversary, 25 outdoor music festivals drawing nationally-known acts before tens of thousands of people.
None of that was foreseen when Dave Bernstein, along with pals Adam Feiges, Tom Grueskin and others, gathered to sketch out plans to give Sioux City the first event in 1991.
At first, Bernstein was only thinking of one festival, not reaching a major milestone of 25. What became known as Saturday in the Park has grown into the premier festival in Siouxland, rivaling those in other regional cities.
SITP has always been free in the Grandview Park bandshell, where about seven acts perform for rabid fans. Several others sometimes perform on the Second Stage.
"It gets a lot of bang for its buck on the quality of life scorecard for Sioux City," Bernstein said. "The fact that it is still around provides a lot of pride."
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In a coincidence that happens every few years, the festival in 2015 will fall on the July 4 holiday. As always, fireworks will conclude the evening after the closing act.
Bernstein conceded there are high expectations to pull off a SITP with such a notable anniversary.
"There is a lot of pressure because it is the 25th, and it's hard to book (performers) because it is on the Fourth. It will be difficult to meet the expectations, even if we booked The (Rolling) Stones, The Who and Dave Matthews Band," he quipped.
Bernstein has led every festival. In fact, it has taken up more than half his life. Nothing of that magnitude had panned out previously in Sioux City.
He delved into concert promotion while a student at Northwestern University in the Chicago area. His crew of friends thought the Grandview Park bandshell was underutilized.
"We were always fans of the venue, a great venue where we could show acts that we liked," Bernstein said.
Blues-based bands were initially sought, but eventually the lineup became more eclectic, including hard rockers such as the Allman Brothers, icons Carlos Santana and B.B. King and pop stars that included Michelle Branch. The breadth of music styles makes it interesting for people, Bernstein said.
However, he said it's tougher to land bands now than when SITP began, since there is more competition with outdoor festivals blooming across the U.S.
Musicians are told to expect a great opportunity, but they often don't completely realize how the day will unfold. The appreciative fans push up and dance near the stage, while those seated in chairs further away by the trees also rock out. All that moved Ben Harper to gush about the SITP vibe only one song into his set a few years ago.
The 2014 festival drew Ziggy Marley, The Avett Brothers and Bonnie Raitt. In 2013, the big draws before 25,000 people were Melissa Etheridge and Sublime with Rome.
Among those watching last year was Ryan King, who traveled from Oklahoma City.
“There are a lot of people here, but everyone’s really laid back,” King said. “This is marvelous.”
Bernstein said it will be hard to live up to 2014, "probably the best year we've ever done. The Avett Brothers were off-the-chart amazing. Bonnie was fantastic."
Saturday in the Park is the product of a core committee of 50 people, with another 150 volunteers who help out with tasks such as transportation and cleanup. While SITP is free, people drop some change on their favorite foods and beverages sold by concessionaires.
Bernstein has pursued some acts for years before finally landing artists. He admits being relieved when SITP ends each year, but by fall Bernstein enthusiastically begins work toward booking groups for the next year.
Fans get enthused when favorite acts make the bill, so the announcement of the lineup draws a lot of interest. The 2015 acts will continue to cross a variety of music styles.
"We are going to have some unique, awesome and also special performers playing," Bernstein said. "It will be a great recognition of the 25th year. We bounce all over the place genre-wise. We will continue to do so."
