Photos by Ron Williams [Editor’s Note: The following was adapted from the Acker Night Musical Showcase website.]
The J.S. Acker Musical Showcase event (also known as Acker Night) got its start in 1988 from a vision and a lot of hard work. The December event now features over 100 Prescott downtown businesses. Numerous local musicians and performers donate their time and talent to this event.
Harold Wise, a prominent local merchant, moved to Prescott in 1985 and soon opened a store on Prescott’s Whiskey Row. Two years later, Mr. Wise was elected President of the Downtown Prescott Association (which later changed its name to the Prescott Downtown Partnership). One of his responsibilities was to revitalize the downtown area.
In 1988, Prescott resident LaVon Anderson who was a strong supporter of children’s music programs, had a dream to combine music and Prescott’s historic downtown together in a memorable event. She met with Mr. Wise a number of times to discuss how best to achieve her vision. Mr. Wise invited her to a meeting of the DPA’s board to present the idea. Mr. Wise was able to convince local business owners in the downtown area that this would be a wonderful event for Prescott and their individual businesses.
Music and the Christmas holidays were a natural pairing and Mrs. Anderson used that to spearhead the J.S. Acker Musical Showcase in December of 1988. The first year was slow going but with Mrs. Anderson’s passion and drive and Mr. Wise’s dedication, it has grown ever since.
In the spring of 1991, Marion Smith of Prescott read an interesting article detailing J.S. Acker’s legacy to the city and the creation of a new non-profit organization, the J.S. Acker Music Park Association. Mrs. Smith contacted Mrs. Anderson who had concerns about the downtown business area’s growth. Mrs. Smith had a strong interest in promoting performing artists. The two were combined to create the Musical Showcase which has evolved to today’s Acker Night.
From 8 performers in 8 shops in 1988 to over 100 performers in over 100 shops today, Acker Night has become one of Prescott’s most beloved events. During Mrs. Smith’s tenure, the committee expanded to handle the demands of rapid growth. The colorful Tip Bag program supporting scholarships for our community’s youth was introduced enabling a dramatic increase in funding for the existing scholarship plan.
For more information on Acker night, go to Acker Night Musical Showcase.
