West Bountiful’s Arts Council has been hosting concerts for almost as long as they’ve been meeting. During the second Friday of eight months of the year, the committee sets up amps, sound equipment and chairs in the chambers of City Hall. Each performer has a tie to the area, either as someone who grew up in the community or someone who has a connection to it.

On Nov. 8, the Arts Council will hold their final concert of the year with singer Suzie Carter – and they’’re looking to rejuvenate what was once considered a staple monthly event. 

“We have had the place standing room only, well over 100 people, but the last few have not,” said Lucile Eastman, an Arts Council member. “We’re scrambling to figure it out.”

The city’s Arts Council was established in 2005. Under the direction of former member Colleen Maloy, the committee decided that concerts would be an effective way to spread an art culture in West Bountiful. On April 14, 2006, the city held their first concert with Mike Murphy – now a retired business owner and former guitar teacher at Viewmont High School.

Today, the monthly concert order is fairly established. Each year, the Arts Council has Andy Leger, a member of the band Endless Summer, kick off the performance series in January. In February, they stage a Valentine’s Day concert, and in March, young artists from across the community showcase their talents. 

Carter then does her first performance of the year, which is followed by one to close out the series before summer. While concerts don’t happen in June, July or August, the council does organize a performance during West Bountiful’s Independence Day celebration.

The events return in September, and a cowboy poetry performance is held the next month. Each year, the concerts close with Carter singing holiday classics during her November “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” show. 

Though the series is 18 years old, the performances were paused in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The following year, the Arts Council began publishing the concerts on YouTube to make the performances more accessible. Once concerts were able to return, however, Eastman noticed a change in West Bountiful.

“One of the reasons that we feel that our attendance has been dropping [is] because there’s not that tremendous community spirit that there was when we were smaller,” said Eastman. “We’re trying to bring that back.”

Eastman says that some of the decline in community spirit is due in part to the city’s growth. One of the ways the Arts Council is looking to re-establish West Bountiful’s strong culture is by bringing back a holiday called Founder’s Day – which celebrates the development and history of the area.

Originally started by the Arts Council, Founder’s Day used to feature presentations of historic homes, musical performances and the reciting of a poem by Eastman’s husband, Eric. The celebration was, however, discontinued 10 years ago due to decisions by the council.

Along with reinstating the holiday, the Arts Council is increasing their awareness efforts. This year, an established member of the committee, Mike Leger, added his nephew, Michael Nielsen – a marketing expert – to the operation. They are also seeking a greater variety of acts, including non-musical performances such as magic shows.

“We had a local magician in town, and whenever he did a concert the place was packed,” said Eastman when referring to former magician Craig Dransfield, who passed away in 2020. “I said to members of the Arts Council ‘do we have a local magician anymore?’ because I feel like that would be a draw that would bring kids in.”

Carter – the final performer of the year – is known for singing classic songs from artists such as Doris Day and the Carpenters. She is regularly one of the most popular shows each year, and according to Eastman, has the potential to bring attendance back to where the council hopes it will be. 

“There isn’t anybody on the council that wants to see it die,” said Eastman about the concert series. “It’s something we’ve got to work on.” λ