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arty in the Park was born from a simple wish: to give back to the community that has supported Bookmans Entertainment Exchange for over 30 years. Bob had a dream of a free, outdoor concert and we saw that dream become a reality on Sat., Nov. 3, 2007, as nearly 11,000 people joined us throughout the day for our 30th anniversary party in Tucson’s Reid Park.
Arizona (and beyond!) turned out in droves for an all-day celebration of music, food, and good will. There were giveaways galore, with Bob shooting limited edition Party in the Park t-shirts into the crowd and Bookmans staff passing out coupons, as well as Tucson-based vendors and non-profit booths sharing their goods and information throughout the day.
The show itself began with a set of country rock originals and covers from local mainstay Chuck “Wagon” Maultsby, then moving through a rollicking jump blues set from Portland’s The Insomniacs and Chicago Blues Reunion’s soulful spin on old school blues, the evening culminated in a warm welcome home for Calexico, who were accompanied by long-time collaborators Mariachi Luz de Luna, Salvador Duran, Nick Luca, and other special guests.
All in all, it was an exhausting, fulfilling, and amazing day. We’d like to thank our sponsor support, the volunteers from Partnership High School, the vendors, the musicians and crew, Reid Park, Bob and Bookmans’ staff, and all of the guests who showed up to celebrate with us. Thanks for 30 spectacular years!
Is Bookman Bob not the kindest man alive? As if it’s not enough that he should offer us discounted books, magazines, CDs, Nintendos, etc., but he also insists on shooting T-shirts at us from a device that could have been found in a secret stockpile of illegal weaponry and throwing a daylong music festival to show his appreciation for 30 years of patronage. And did I mention that it was free?...Would we expect anything less from Bookmans?
Adrienne Lake, AZNightBuzz.com
Tucson should be thanking you right now! To bring such a wonderful band to a local venue for FREE is above and beyond what any of us Tucsonans would have expected. Bookmans represents everything that is right with Tucson, Arizona. Thank you for featuring one of my favorite bands and making this a child-friendly event that my family felt welcome to attend.
Albert, Bookmans customer
...the whole crowd loved it, from the babies to the teenagers to the college hipsters to the grandmas. I can only imagine how many amazing Tucson musicians of the future were there in diapers that night. What a wonderful gift from Bookmans to the people of Tucson. Thank you Bookmans, thank you Calexico, thank you Tucson.
TucsonMama.com
What a wonderful celebration you held for Bookman’s 30th Anniversary last Saturday! My staff and I enjoyed the great music while we met people and told them about our non-profit, the Reading Seed, Children’s Literacy Program. Many of your party guests showed interest in our program and have offered to help us help children learn to love reading. We signed up several new coaches! Once again Bookmans has made our community a first priority! On behalf of our organization and all the others you help, THANK YOU!
Betty Kalil Knott, Reading Seed Executive Director
