City names new lead organizer for 2012 Prairie Village Jazz Festival

Mayor Ron Shaffer announced earlier this week that Jack Shearer, a commercial real estate salesman, will chair this year’s Jazz Fest committee. Shearer takes over for Kathy Peterson, who became lead organizer of the 2011 event when festival co-founder Dan Anderson stepped down as co-chair last April.

Shearer has been involved with Jazz in the Woods for several years as a member of the Overland Park South Rotary Club, and says he learned his appreciation for the arts from his children’s involvement in music at SM East. Shearer served as a volunteer at the inaugural Jazz Fest in 2010.

He says the Jazz Fest committee will be meeting soon to discuss goals for this year’s event. Shearer confirmed that Bread & Butter Concepts, which runs BRGR and Urban Table, has agreed to sponsor both the festival and the 5K fundraising run.

After last year’s event was rained out, there had been discussion about attempting to reconvene the scheduled line-up from 2011 for the 2012 festival. Shearer said the committee had started discussing this year’s line-up, but that no decisions have been made.

“Last year’s talent was wonderful and — without the storm — surely would have been great entertainment for a lot of folks,” he said via email. “We will be discussing and deciding on talent first because it impacts so many other important decisions.”

The City Council will formally approve the selection of Shearer as event chair at its next meeting.