Marthaellen Florence remembers the old days, when there was just a smattering of people — "a small, intimate crowd," she said — enjoying the music at the Sheldon Museum of Art's sculpture garden.
In 32 years, Jazz in June, which begins Tuesday, has caught on to become an annual tradition, and a big part of the Good Life.
The music festival is Lincoln's longest ongoing concert series and will attract thousands, including many out-of-towners who plan trips to the Capitol City around Jazz in June.
Some call it the unofficial start to summer, a place where people gather by spreading out a blanket or bringing their lawn chairs to listen to free music, have a picnic dinner — maybe an entree from one of the nearby food trucks — and simply share fellowship.
"There are people who look forward to this each year," said Mike Semrad, a lifelong Lincoln resident who served as the executive director for the event last year. "It's become a part of Lincoln, of Lincoln's history.
People are also reading…
"At this point, it's an institution."
It's come a long way, especially in the way Florence describes it.
"As far as the eye can see, there are people,"Â said the retired University of Nebraska-Lincoln educator, community leader and longtime chairwoman for Jazz in June. "It's always gratifying when you stand on the Sheldon steps and look out at all the people."
Florence, who's been around for most of the Jazz in June story, provides institutional knowledge.
"She's a walking encyclopedia related to Jazz in June's history," said Bill Stephan, executive director of the Lied Center for Performing Arts and chairman of this year's Jazz in June committee.
And with its longevity has come change, particularly in the way it's run. There are a lot of moving parts to its management, but ultimately it's Stephan who chairs the committee, which consists of a group of UNL and Lied employees as well as a number of community members.
"I am the bottom line, because the university has to have somebody overseeing the financial health of the program," he said. "Somebody has to be in charge of that."
That's a long way from where Jazz in June began — in 1991 under the direction of the Nebraska Art Association with a shoestring budget as a way to promote the Sheldon Museum of Art.
"We had no idea who was coming," said Kathy Piper, the former executive director of the Nebraska Art Association, who was part of the first Jazz in June planning committee.
The Nebraska Art Association morphed into the Sheldon Art Association, which managed the music festival for several years.
In the mid-1990s, Berman Music Foundation founder Butch Berman joined the Jazz in June committee. It was Berman’s knowledge and passion for jazz and his foundation’s sponsorship that gained the music festival national notoriety.
The Berman Music Foundation served as a partner and stakeholder to Jazz in June for more than 10 years until Berman's death in 2008.
The annual budget — all of it funded through private donations and corporate sponsorships — has grown to $100,000, which still is not enough, Florence said.Â
Last year, Semrad — a longtime family friend to Berman — took over running Jazz in June but struggled with the timelines he was given.
Semrad said the city should take over operation of the event because neither the university nor the Lied Center has the time or energy to do it correctly.
"The university doesn’t care about it," he said.
Florence disagrees, saying the city wouldn't be able to run the music festival on its own.
"There's a certain culture and a sense of community that happens," Florence said. "Those of us who have worked Jazz in June for years kind of get a sense of that.
"I don't know if that's the city's strong suit. That's our skill set."
Semrad said he became frustrated when he wasn't hired to run last year's show until late April, which gave him five weeks to raise funds, book musical acts and organize every other moving part — from food truck vendors to organizing volunteers — before raising the curtains.
He got the job done in those five weeks but said the short turnaround didn't have to be so rushed and it had him "stressed out."
When he asked to get the ball rolling earlier this year, he said the Lied Center, which was busy putting together its 2023-24 season, and UNL, in the midst of a school year, weren't yet ready to talk Jazz in June.
Semrad said he had no intention of putting in the work to pull off another 11th-hour miracle, no matter how much he believes in the event.
Florence understands Semrad's criticism, but the time constraints on everyone make early planning a challenge, she said.
The Lied Center "takes care of their season first," she said. "And then they work on Jazz in June. I agree with Mike that I would have loved to get this started in November.
"It always happens, but it's not always in my time zone. I like stuff months and months and months in advance."
It might have been a frantic finish, Florence said, but it got done. It always does.
Maybe that's all that matters. Maybe it's best not to see the sausage being made.
After all, Jazz in June has always — COVID pandemic not withstanding — gone on, and the community has been none the wiser of what it took for it to happen.
"I guess it's a little bit of a miracle when you think of how it all comes together," Stephan said. "There are many different people doing so many different things. I can't think of a year when we didn't feel like, 'Wow, that was a miracle that we pulled it off,' as well as every year after it's over, saying 'Wow, what an amazing series of concerts.'"
If you go
When:Â Tuesdays in June, 7 p.m.
When:Â Sheldon Museum sculpture garden (bring a chair or blanket).
Cost:Â Free, but cash donations are encouraged with the buckets that circulate.
Schedule:Â Tuesday: Alexis Arai y Su Grupo Latino. June 13: Angela Habenbach Sextet. June 20: Metro Jazz Quintet. June 27: Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience.
Food:Â Bring your own food and drinks or food can be purchased from the following vendors: UNL Dairy Store (ice cream), Daffodil (Mediterranean), La Cocina (Mexican food/tacos), Mary Ellen's (BBQ & soul food), Made It Myself Shaved Ice, Kouzina (Greek), Motorfood (mac and cheese, sliders), Runza, Farmers Market Kettlecorn, Sweet Things by Marcy (Southern-style desserts), Marshall Dogs (hot dogs), Ybor (Cuban sandwiches).