Let Freedom Sing? Music on Main on Tonight's Work Session Agenda

Music on Main is an item on the of the Tarrytown Board of Trustees.

Musician Christopher Reising to change the no-music-on-Village-sidewalks-without-permission rule. The village actually didn't really know there was such a rule until, after a cautious police officer told Reising to stop to playing one night last September, he went in to get his cabaret license and was told he didn't need one. But then administrators researched further and dug up Chapter 218-1 in the Village Code, whereby “No person shall participate in any parade, exhibition or the playing of musical instruments upon the streets of the village unless authorization has first been received by the Board of Trustees.”

So Reising is seeking this authorization, which the Board will discuss tonight. You may have noticed though that he's still out there playing, but only by the explicit written permission of 3rd Friday and at 51 Main Street.

Reising has been talking with Village Administrator Mike Blau about putting a system in place that enables him to book music – as he's been doing for the village for 10 years, putting bands at the Farmers' Market and at 'Music and Movies at Sunset' at Pierson Park – in front of a few specific storefronts.

He's modelling his plan on the Sidewalk Entertainers program in Salt Lake City, where there's a form musicians and artists complete for an annual fee of $30. “[Blau] said it was very helpful and is looking into it," Reising said. "He said it’s not going to happen overnight, but he’s created a work session and will call me when I can meet with the Board of Trustees.”

Reising's proposal then will be: "I’ll coordinate the minimal number of musicians (who will have to audition for me) for specific spaces (only four of them, 51 Main, , and , so we don’t clash musically) on Main St. and Broadway, and I’ll coordinate the schedule with the rec dept.”

In the meantime, he's created an online petition to boost his previous paper efforts and could use more signatures for tonight. “I’ve got over 500 signatures so far and The Music Hall is going to send my online petition to their music customers," he said. "I’m going for 1,000.”

Here's the petition:

http://signon.org/sign/petition-to-allow-live?source=c.fwd&r_by=804694