- The Little Show on The Crow was an idea that Bethany and I had in terms of trying to figure out how to get summer programming really kind of off the ground for the theater.

The last number of seasons that we've had during the summer have been pretty low attendance.

And we know that a really big part of that is that people wanna be outside.

And so the idea of being able to do a summer concert series really just kind of seemed like a no brainer.

We love bringing in entertainment for people and providing a lot of opportunities, so taking it outside just seemed like the right idea.

(upbeat music) ♪ I am not tall enough to do anything ♪ - Work on that.

- Work on that Little Show On The Crow is a summer concert series that's taking place here at Neer Park.

We meet on Wednesdays at 6:30, we gather the community together.

We've been attempting to try to get a market associated with it as well, providing opportunities for local vendors to be a part of it as well.

But ultimately, it's a time for us to gather once a week as a community to enjoy free live music and then also kind of educate people about what Little Theater is about and what we're sort of working towards in terms of our responsibility in the community and how people can sort of be a part of it.

(upbeat music) New London's Little Theater Auditorium is a nonprofit organization and location in downtown New London that emphasizes the importance of the arts and art education in our community.

(upbeat music) My interest in the arts really roots in my youth.

I grew up wanting to be on stage and performing and wanting to make visual art.

I went to an arts high school and then continued to study art and became an art teacher.

I actually just came out of a 16 year career as an art educator in the public and private sector, so it's pretty deep into who I am as a person.

This is a really great opportunity for me to sort of make a difference in the community on a whole different level outside of, a school system or my own personal classes.

But that's pretty much who I am.

I definitely have a day job that's in a different realm and that's what I do to pay the bills, but this is what I do to pay my soul.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are so excited to welcome you here to Neer Park for our fantastic 4th of July edition of Little Show on the Crow.

Everybody give yourselves a round of applause.

Today, my duties for the Little Show on the Crow are sort of all encompassing.

We get together a little bit earlier in the day and do all of the setup and then I sort of fill in wherever necessary.

I'm actually the MC of the whole event, so I'll do the introduction and I'll introduce our performers.

I'll also tell people about what kind of things they can enjoy while they're here.

And then I'm also the face painter today.

We were looking for something a little special to add to the event.

We're hoping that we'll have a lot of families and kids here and why not add another fun element to it?

Neer Park and the Crow River is a really special place to host this type of an event because it's such a beautiful landscape.

We've got this really lovely rolling hill that serves as a really great amphitheater.

And the space is actually really commonly used by the Little Crow Ski Show on Fridays.

They do a fantastic show all summer long, so people are used to coming here.

So it really just kind of seemed like an ideal space to welcome people back and experience it in a totally different way.

(upbeat music) Some of the vendors joining us tonight are going to be Back 40 Pizza, the Aaron's family farm, they're really fantastic and definitely a crowd favorite.

We have a new food truck in town called Gypsy Bowls that's gonna be joining us for the first time this evening.

And we also have a really fantastic baker.

The name of their company is Killer Frosting, she makes really fantastic confections.

And then we have Maggie's Minis.

Little Show On the Crow is definitely an event for all ages, it is family friendly and we encourage you to bring the whole gang.

(upbeat music) Starting this programming has definitely been a journey of confidence building and confirmation.

I would say we have spent the last number of years kind of working up towards this kind of programming and learning about how to do it and how to make it really attractive for people who are looking for something to do, but they don't quite know what.

And so with the beginning of it and with its proven growth, we're feeling like that's something that's really, coming to fruition and really helping build our confidence when it comes to designing programming in the future.

And then in addition to that, for me it's really confirming the fact that I truly live in a village of people who really just wanna support each other and really wanna be a part of something really cool.

And it's kind of how my family ended up in this area is that we were looking for a smaller community that we could have a bigger impact in.

And that's happening and it feels really good.

And if anything, New London is incredibly open-minded and excited to try things that are new.

It's a welcoming community and it's a community that really enjoys a lot of fun.

(upbeat music)