Letter from Carol Bateman Waller

Concerts Were a Boost to Village

I read with interest the little piece in the Journal on “20 Years Ago” and the Willie Nelson/Bob Dylan concert in Doubleday Field. While it is true that Trustee Stuart Taugher did originally oppose the idea, he embraced the results when the concert was a rousing success.

This concert came about through an approach by Jeff Idelson, then president of the Hall of Fame, to then-Mayor Carol Waller. Jeff met with Carol and said that Willie and Bob were beginning a concert tour set in small baseball parks and wanted to kick it off at Doubleday Field.

At that time, Cooperstown had a clouded past with large, public concerts, with some even bankrupting the individuals involved, so this was a very touchy subject. Mayor Waller supported the idea and laid out strong stipulations: fixed amount to be paid to the village, any damage repaired at their expense, Fire Department has food, etc. Even with Mr. Taugher’s concerns, the Village Board approved the endeavor. Most comments were positive, but one individual said to Carol, “You’ll ruin your political future if this fails,” to which she responded, “I don’t have a political future, mayor is it!”

It was a great concert. The combination of Willie Nelson’s folksy tunes coupled with Bob Dylan’s rock/folk style were a great hit, and approximately 13,000 people were in the stands and on the field that August evening. The village was paid a fixed fee from the promoter, all the wear and tear to the field was repaired, and there was minimal risk to the field and the village.

A series of concerts followed with similar results, but with varying attendance. The Beach Boys, Sugerland, Paul Simon and Peter Noone were a few of the headliners. It added an additional dimension to the late summer and all came about through the efforts of Jeff Idelson’s initiative.

Carol Bateman Waller
Mayor, Village of Cooperstown (Retired)