Whether you’re negotiating an international peace treaty or simply deciding who gets the last slice of pizza, it’s always more comfortable to operate from a position of strength. Down at Taylorsville City Hall, nobody knows that better these days than Jen Andrus.

“I am so glad to be beyond the days of begging for bands,” she said. “That first year was a little tricky.”

Andrus is referring to “that first year” of Starry Nights @ the Plaza in the summer of 2022. The free, weekly, outdoor entertainment series debuted in May of that year. It was the first summer after the $3-million Centennial Plaza was completed. It was also just barely after most of us were finally shedding our COVID, I-don’t-want-to-be-near-anyone anxiety.

Andrus has worked for Taylorsville about eight years now, and has worn two distinct city government hats at least half that long. She’s executive assistant to Mayor Kristie Overson, and also the city’s de facto event planner.

She would be the first to tell you that second gig was much less demanding her first couple of years with the city. Remember, that’s when all the open acreage south of city hall was barren, vacant, desolate.

Then along came Salt Lake County’s $45-million Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center and soon thereafter, Centennial Plaza. That’s when Andrus’ workload grew.

Back in 2022, someone got the great idea to launch Starry Nights @ the Plaza. Trouble is, they told Andrus: “Go do this Jen… and, by the way, you have no budget.”

“That first year, I had to beg bands to come perform at Starry Nights @ the Plaza, for free,” she explained. “All I could tell them was, ‘If you help us out this year, I will remember you in the years to come, when we have a budget.’ Somehow it worked – and we’ve paid our performers every year since.”

Instead of being the little sister in that “last slice of pizza” negotiation, Andrus is now the strongest kid in the family.

“This year we had 58 musical groups, duos and individual artists answer our call to entertain during our 19-evening, Starry Nights @ the Plaza run,” Andrus said. “We have a couple of different acts performing on the same night a few times. All together, we needed 24 of the 58 acts that applied. So this year I could handle a little pushback when acts said, ‘you aren’t paying enough.’ We are really cautious with how we spend city money. If it wasn’t enough for them I just said, ‘Well, maybe in the future we’ll be able to pay a little more.’ I like being in that spot.” 

Andrus is savoring that last pizza slice.

For the record, the bands you will see during Starry Nights this year – which runs Friday nights, from May 16 through Sept. 26 – will earn $500. Duos are paid $300, while solo performers get $150. That’s for two hours of music. The entire Starry Nights live music budget this year is $10,550.

“For some of these acts, we are paying about what they normally earn,” Andrus said. “But I’m also aware some of these groups are cutting their rates for us. They seem to consider it a community service and we’re very grateful.”

One change this year to Starry Nights is the start and end times. In years past, food trucks served from 5 to 8 p.m., with live music starting at 6. But organizers found very few people were around to eat by 5 and others were disappointed when the chow wagons rolled out at 8.

So, this year, the normally 6 to 8 food trucks – serving a wide assortment of culinary items, changing each week – will begin serving meals at 5:30 p.m. and continue curbside appetite curbing until 8:30 p.m.

That’s the only particularly significant change coming during this fourth annual Starry Nights @ the Plaza. Nearly half the musical acts will be making their first appearance at the event. A handful of others are coming back a fourth time.

Among those who have never missed entertaining at Starry Nights is longtime Taylorsville resident Kristy Ballard. She brings her accordion and keyboard to the Centennial Plaza stage each year to share two hours of country and folk music.

Meantime, led by their lead singer – Taylorsville City Attorney, Tracy Cowdell – the classic rock cover band DeNovo is also on that “never missed a year” list.

“The Starry Nights venue is really the best one we play; the stage size and layout is great,” Cowdell said. “It’s just such a fabulous setting, with the grass, the trees, the food trucks. I think what we (DeNovo) like best is, people come to Starry Nights to see US. A lot of places we play, people just stop for a few minutes, then walk by to some other activity. At Starry Nights, we are the draw. When people sit and sing with us, that really makes us excited to perform our best.”

Taylorsville Parks & Recreation Committee volunteers will once again operate the five outdoor movies being offered during the season. Those films consume the next largest bite out of the Starry Nights budget, after the music. The Hollywood folk charge $415 per showing. 

“I’m so excited for another year of Starry Nights; I think it will be bigger and better than ever before,” Mayor Kristie Overson said. “This event is really starting to cause a stir. Performers want to come. Our residents are telling more and more people about it. The Food Truck League is always happy to return. Starry Nights @ the Plaza has definitely become one of our most popular city activities. We love to see residents getting out to have fun with us.”

Also back again this year will be Night Out Against Crime (Aug. 8) and the Children’s Entrepreneur Market (Sept. 5). Additionally, the city Arts Council will present Taylorsville’s Got Talent, June 7, on the massive Centennial Plaza stage. And, the first night of the annual Westside CultureFest will be held in and outside the Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center, Aug. 15.

“I am very excited about Starry Nights returning; we get over to it every week we can,” Councilman Curt Cochran added. “The entertainment they select is spot on – such a great variety of bands – lots of different types of music. Jen Andrus is doing such a great job organizing it. Our city is almost to the point where we may need to hire an event coordinator. But as long as the work is assigned to Jen, we all know how well she’s going to do it.”

Another City Councilman, Bob Knudsen, says his family incorporates Starry Nights into an annual celebration.

“I have an aunt with a summer birthday who lives in Taylorsville,” Knudsen said. “So, we take my dad’s sister with us to Centennial Plaza on the Friday night closest to her birthday. She has a good time there; then we take her home for cake and ice cream. It’s become a great family activity.”

As always, Starry Nights will skip one Friday evening – the middle night of Taylorsville Dayzz – June 27.

“Centennial Plaza is just such a beautiful space; what a great, open, grassy area to relax,” City Council Chairwoman Meredith Harker added. “I love Starry Nights @ the Plaza just the way it is. The crowds aren’t too big. Parking is easy. It’s just people having fun.” λ