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Pool Parties Expensive, Depressing For Organizers
By
Jen Carlson
Published Aug 13, 2010
Modified Aug 13, 2010
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Aug 13, 2010
Modified Aug 13, 2010
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Since the Open Space Alliance has stepped in, there's been a lot of whispering about what's going on with the Pool Parties—the summer concert series created by JellyNYC. It began five years ago at McCarren Park Pool, and has since moved to the East River State Park. The concerts have remained free to the public during each transition, but they aren't free to put on, and NPR recently found out from Sarah Hooper—the co-owner of JellyNYC—that they come with a pricetag of around half a million bucks.
She told NPR that the relationship with the Parks Department and the OSA has deteriorated (something Dodgeball Tom also confirmed), and that even though the parties have become more popular, they aren't making more money and are constantly working to keep their head above water. Allegedly the OSA has hijacked money coming in from concessions (including that precious water), and Hooper says, "this summer has been about digging ourselves out of the hole of last year's Pool Parties."
Will Jelly be forced to abandon their own baby at the end of the summer? Hooper says they may be making an announcement shortly, presumably about the future. But for now, she's enjoying the Rock Yard scene she's created with her company, and says: "I kind of hate the Pool Parties now. They make us all really sad when we go on site. And then I go to our things at Rock Yard, and it's exactly how it used to be."
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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