Last Month's Poll Results & Our Newest Poll!!

It's now time for the results of last month's poll on The Sault Metal Scene, and to unveil our newest monthly poll, but be sure to check out this morning's first concert preview post below this one! As you may remember, we posed this question to you guys last month: When you attend a local concert, what's your ideal number of bands on the lineup? We only received 11 votes, but the results are very clear and easy to process, so here's the final tally!

3 or 4 bands (7 votes, 64%)

Two bands (3 votes, 27%)

5 or 6 bands (1 vote, 9%)

Just one band (0 votes)

7 or more bands (0 votes)

No preference (0 votes)

What do you guys think? The results are about cut and dry, as most voters obviously preferred local concerts to have 3 or 4 bands, with sharp drop-offs for the next highest and next lowest choices. This is a nice manageable lineup that doesn't run too long, so I can see why 3 or 4 bands won out! Of course, the extreme choices (7+ bands and no bands) didn't receive any votes, albeit with a small sample size, so at least a sample would rather see more bands than one (as in a cover band at a bar on weekends) and less than 6 (as in many festivals and Oddfellows Hall all ages shows.) If more people voted, I'm sure we'd see more votes for all choices, but could this be used as a guide for how many bands a specific local concert should have? I don't know, but it's interesting, and thanks to everyone for voting!

As for this month's poll, I wanted to address a recent topic that's been attracting a lot of debate on both sides, so we're posing this question to you guys this month: What is your opinion on The Sault Downtown Association debate and the future of outdoor Queen Street concerts & festivals? If you haven't heard, a group of local business owners want to disband the Downtown Association (who help organize and put on many outdoor events downtown), as they find that they're paying too much in taxes for what they get out of it, and would rather promote more of the downtown rather than the section of Queen Street used for the events. SooToday and The Sault Star will keep you guys posted on the complete details, but the fight is ongoing at City Hall, and has already forced the postponement of this summer's Downtown Days and the relocation of The Emergency Festival, while it's still not public where Rotaryfest's Second Stage will be next month.

This is a divisive issue that's generating a lot of debate on social media and local news websites, and given that it impacts outdoor concert festivals on Queen Street in at least the short term, it definitely fits for a poll on the SMS. I've chosen 5 options to vote from on this topic, and it'll be interesting to see what wins, so here's some info on each!

Keep the Downtown Association alive, they do great work!: Many people in town do like what the Downtown Association does to promote and put on events on Queen Street, be they concerts, festivals, parties, or all of the above. Maybe you like what they do, the location where they do it, or just the idea of it if you're not in town, but if the Sault Downtown Association has your full support, vote for this choice!

I like what they do, but there's room for a compromise: The Sault Downtown Association does do good work for culture and local events, but if you know and have read the concerns and issues that local business owners have with it, you may see points that could be addressed without completely killing the SDA. If I was voting, I'd pick this choice, as there has to be a common ground to keep the Downtown Association alive and placate the business owners, but how about you?

I'd rather see outdoor shows in a different/larger location: Maybe you like the Downtown Association's Queen Street events and maybe you don't, but there are likely people who'd rather attend outdoor events of this kind in other locations. Some have wished for the SDA to promote a far wider scope of Queen and the downtown to showcase with events, while others might want to go beyond downtown entirely, perhaps to Runway Park or the continued development down Great Northern. If you want outdoor events in a wider area (SDA-held or not), this is for you!

Abolish it, we don't get enough for what it's worth: This is the extreme option that the group of local business owners are advocating, but do you side with them on this debate? They feel that the Downtown Association is ineffective and not worth the taxes they pay, and while not everyone in town can relate to their side, there are bound to be people who don't attend SDA events out of personal preference too, as the bands, events, and location might not be to everyone's liking. If you want the SDA gone, vote for this one!

Indifferent/no opinion: Maybe the whole Sault Downtown Association debate has no effect on you, as you never attended their events anyway, or have but don't have an investment in the issue. Maybe you don't hate it, but the events are never up your alley to begin with? Vote for this option if you don't have a dog in this fight!

VOTE TODAY!! This poll runs until July 18th, and it'll be very interesting to see what wins out, so cast your votes in the red voting section on the right, and personally, I just hope there's a solution that the SDA and the business owners can both accept when all is said and done. Cast your votes A.S.A.P., and stay tuned for more concert previews tomorrow! Thanks everyone!