MORGANTOWN – It’s tough to improve on No. 3 in the nation.
That’s exactly what Morgantown’s Ruby Summer Concert Series is looking to do this spring.
So far, so good.
As of Tuesday morning, the Ruby Summer Concert Series was sitting in second place out more than a dozen outdoor series nominated nationwide in USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards.
But the University City is aiming for the top spot, and it’s going to need your help to get there.
Cast your vote each day at 10best.usatoday.com/qr/59084 through 11:59 a.m. on May 11.
This is the second year the series has been nominated for the recognition.
Morgantown Director of Arts & Cultural Development Vincent Kitch said last year’s third place finish in the USA Today poll was an unexpected surprise.
“Last year we did get picked up by the USA Today 10 Best, which was interesting because I didn’t know that existed. You can’t nominate yourself. Their editors and their people pick who’s nominated. I just happened to see an article about a concert series that I used to manage in Carlsbad, California, which was one of the nominees,” he said. “I was like, ‘What the heck?’ How come that one got recognized and we didn’t. We’re doing much bigger things.’ So, we reached out, and they explained it was the editors and consultants who do that. Well, then we ended up getting nominated.”
This year, Morgantown is up against competitors from New York City, West Palm Beach, Las Vegas, Denver, Chicago, Nashville, Washington D.C., Sylva (North Carolina), Vail (Colorado), Kirkland (Washington), De Pere (Wisconsin), Cumberland (Maryland), Ludington (Michigan) and Chattanooga (Tennessee).
“It’s all about the voting. I mean, I have three emails and I vote every day for all three emails,” Kitch said. “If everybody did that …”
Entering its fifth season, the Ruby Summer Concert Series recently announced a 12-show lineup that includes featured artists Everclear, Hanson, Leftover Salmon, Tonic, Switchfoot, The War and Treaty, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Ashley Cooke and 38 Special, as well as respected touring tribute acts including Almost Queen (Queen); Dark Side of the Moonshine (Pink Floyd); Philadelphia Freedom (Elton John); and Who’s Bad (Michael Jackson).
Last summer, the concerts drew more than 50,000 people to downtown Morgantown and its Ruby Amphitheater for free Friday night tunes.
