Acoustic Autumn creates community connection at Founders Park

A crowd of live-music lovers gathered in the Founders Park amphitheater to participate in the first night of downtown Johnson City's Acoustic Autumn fall music series. With a semi-cool breeze and the warmth of the setting sun, the series brings a variety of artists to the community to enjoy the beginning of the fall season. Sara DelBene, special events manager for the city of Johnson City, said she couldn't have been happier for the first night's audience. "We could not have asked for a better night to kick off the evening," she said. "I think we've tapped into the ETSU and younger demographic this year as well." The first performer for Acoustic Autumn was alternative and indie artist Brookwood, an alum from East Tennessee State University. The remaining musicians playing for Acoustic Autumn are: • Chancellor Lawson, Oct. 8 • Elizabeth McCorvey, Oct. 15 • Crawford and Power, Oct. 22 • The Twang Bangers, Oct. 29 DelBene said the return of the series brought excitement from people, especially with a particularly rainy Fridays After Five season, which is downtown's summer concert series. She added Acoustic Autumn is a personal favorite of events offered to the community because of its more intimate setting and segue into fall weather. "People are always looking for a reason to get together," DelBene said. "I've made friends with people that come out yearly, and people look forward to it. People have talked about how excited they are with this lineup." Susan and Robert Koos were two attendees who had set up lawn chairs near the top of the amphitheater to enjoy the first concert of Acoustic Autumn. Susan said she and her husband have gone to the series a few times before, enjoying the variety of music at each performance. "We've come in the past, and it's always been fabulous," Susan said with a grin. "We love the young talent and listening to them. We love the community atmosphere, and whenever we're here and not away, we never want to miss it." Robert said his favorite part of Acoustic Autumn is finding new musicians to follow, while Susan said the community atmosphere is what makes it enjoyable. "Everyone's just sitting on the lawn, everyone's friendly, there's families and kids running around — it's just a sense of community when you're here." Katie Hilton was also a participant at the Thursday night performance, though it was her first time attending. As a Church Hill resident, she said she came to the show because she wanted to try something new. While listening to the music, she was impressed by the quality of the performance in the relaxed atmosphere. "I think it sounds really great," Hilton said. "It sounds even better than what I expected. I had never heard of (Brookwood) before, but he's doing great." Hilton added events like Acoustic Autumn can help form connections between people, something she believes is impactful on a community. "From my perspective, this is a great way for me to come out and connect with somebody," she said. "That's something I've been really trying to do more of, and things like this, I think, are really important for that. Especially where Johnson City is such a big place, I think a lot of people just feel alone. This is just a really great way to make new friends and meet new people." Acoustic Autumn takes place every Thursday throughout the month of October, with performances lasting from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Founders Park amphitheater.