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By Cindy Graves The Amphitheater concerts have become one of Four Seasons' most looked forward to events of the year. The historical evolution of how these concerts came to be as they are today, is a fascinating one. For the first four years, 2005 – 2009, we basically looked at the little Amphitheater as just a lovely landscape amenity. In 2009 we began trying out some little non-budgeted musical events, using family members and musical friends of our first Amphitheater Group Captain, Penny McDonnell, and me. This went well and eventually the Board of Directors allocated a small budget to put towards entertainment. In 2013 Mark Lassen arrived on the scene, moving into the neighborhood. He and his wife attended several of those concerts and with the encouragement of Barbara, Mark determined to offer his time and talents to the group. He was a perfect fit, with his love of music and his expertise corporately in organization and negotiation. He served under Penny until she relocated at the end of 2013. With a need for leadership, Mark stepped in to continue with the established priority of offering HOA sponsored concerts, so everyone in the neighborhood could enjoy a fun evening together regardless of their financial situation. For several years we had a tradition of giving out what we called a "door-less prize" at the concert intermissions. Barbara Lassen generously offered to upgrade that gift and soon become the creator of the beautiful gift baskets we give out today. One of the advantages of Mark taking the lead, as mentioned above, was his incredible negotiation skills. His modus operandi is based on the philosophy of establishing good relationships with the bands and building bridges. This translates into a superb foundation for being able to negotiate band fees that were formally out of our price range. Since the Amphitheater budget comes out of my department budget, I give a big shout-out of thanks to Mark! Mark has a team of superhero resident volunteers that make up the Amphitheater Team including Cindy Schwinn, Al Gray, Bill and Mary Christelman, Brenda Florio, Tom Olsen, and Terry Hall (I'm privileged to also be a part of this team). Mark has been able to maintain a cohesiveness within the team by keeping the team purpose paramount, making sure everyone is on the same page and being sure laughter and camaraderie are in ample supply (we won't mention the delicious donuts he brings to each meeting). One of the other things the team enjoys is Mark's opening meeting moments, that have come to be called, "Mark's Profundities." These are thoughts he has, that focus on the positive and deeper meanings from the kaleidoscope of life. All in all, everyone who is part of the team works hard and has a great time! The Four Seasons is certainly lucky to have the marvelous Mark Lassen at the helm of the Amphitheater group. He's brought the concert quality up every year and because of that, the Four Seasons Board of Directors have felt more confident in ensuring the required budget for the concerts, knowing that it will be stretched to acquire the best show talent possible. The attendance to the shows has also increased exponentially and the Bistro is now on board to provide grilled cook-out food at each concert. Overall, the whole Amphitheater concert series experience is getting better and better as time goes on thanks to Mark and his whole team. If you love music and would enjoy serving the community with other fun people, consider joining the Amphitheater group. Just drop me an email or come and talk to me at The Lodge. I'd be happy to let you know when the next group meeting is or connect you up with Mark directly. Thank you Mark and the Amphitheater group; you are continuing to make a big difference in this wonderful community! Amphitheater's Director Mark Lassen RESIDENT SPOTLIGHT the music man 18 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | SEPTEMBER 2023

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