Artists, musicians ask for Windsor's historic Jackson Park bandshell to be restored

Pratyush Dayal · CBC News

· Posted: May 12, 2025 6:42 AM EDT | Last Updated: 16 minutes ago

The aboriginal of Jackson Park's bandshell volition beryllium discussed astatine metropolis assembly Monday, with a agelong database of speakers who privation to spot it saved and revitalized arsenic a abstraction for musicians and artists.

However, metropolis unit say studying its aboriginal is excessively expensive. 

Councillors volition see a study outlining the results of a procurement process undertaken by metropolis unit earlier this twelvemonth for a feasibility survey of the bandshell.  

"It's truly important for the assembly and politician to recognize that this abstraction conscionable doesn't correspond the taste past and the mode it supports Windsor's Black assemblage but besides an accidental for arts organizations, producers to usage this abstraction successful future," Kristen Siapas said, president of CUPE Local 1393.

"It's not conscionable to honour what's past but to support that bequest live by keeping it vibrant and letting this abstraction beryllium of work to the arts assemblage going forward."

Siapas said determination "really is simply a deficiency of show space" of the bandshell's size successful the city. 

She said portion there's a immense abstraction downtown for unrecorded outdoor events astatine the riverfront, and smaller spaces scattered crossed the city, there's thing similar it.

'Doesn't request that overmuch investment': section artist

The bandshell has been deteriorating for astir 30 years and has been unused during that time. The existent operation dates to 1959, aft the erstwhile bandshell — successful Windsor since 1909 — burned down successful a fire. 

In its heyday, the show abstraction was a cardinal constituent of Windsor's Emancipation Day celebrations and battles of the bands.

It's played big to philharmonic greats similar Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross. 

"It's truthful disappointing to spot the mode this gathering has been kept but there's truthful overmuch imaginable here," Siapas said. 

Council volition deliberate whether the metropolis should survey its future. Any survey would beryllium constricted to the practice and method attributes of the structure. 

Staff received 1 response to a petition for proposals issued to bash the feasibility study, and "after reviewing the submission and adding modular departmental task absorption fees on with a contingency, the projected backing [of $120,000] to implicit the feasibility survey would not beryllium adequate," unit wrote. 

"There is simply a important fiscal hazard associated with conducting the feasibility study," unit wrote. "If assembly directs medication to determination guardant with this study, during the people of the study, determination whitethorn beryllium findings that find further investigating mightiness beryllium required (soil, environmental, etc.) astatine further costs."

Staff recommend council cancel the petition for proposals for the feasibility study. 

Also included successful the study is simply a connection for an Emancipation celebrations monument for the park, a task antecedently endorsed by 2 metropolis committees. Funding for that would beryllium astir $50,000. 

In the past, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens has said the bandshell cannot beryllium restored facing the Windsor stadium due to the fact that of a berm built betwixt the 2 structures and the placement of the bandshell comparative to the way tract that is portion of the stadium.

"I perfectly person capable accusation to cognize that bandshell successful that determination volition not work," said Dilkens.

'An accidental to get radical engaged': Windsor Federation of Musicians

Rick LaBonte, vice president of Windsor Federation of Musicians Local 566, volition beryllium attending the assembly gathering successful idiosyncratic arguing successful favour of investing successful it as a euphony show venue. 

He said with the metropolis losing galore euphony establishments, this abstraction tin beryllium the perfect spot for unrecorded euphony events, saying "if you physique it, they volition come." 

LaBonte said galore radical volition payment with different enactment for live music.

"This is an accidental to get radical engaged," helium said. "It's truthful intimate, and a household affable space."

LaBonte said he'd beryllium supportive of either a restoration, oregon immoderate little costly upgrades that could amended the place. . 

"I americium much astir the thought than the place."

"A batch of radical made immoderate memories present and there's a full procreation that hasn't. We request to close that."