How do you honor a man whose handiwork can be seen in every tree of every Lansdale park, and heard in every note played on nearly every Borough stage?
As a start, you dedicate the summer concert series, his labor of love, to his memory.
Lansdale Borough is considering how permanently to honor Carl Saldutti, who served Lansdale for nearly half a century and led the borough’s
Parks & Recreation Department for decades. But the first step will be the dedication of
2019’s Whites Road Park Concert Series in his name, with a lineup of his favorite performers over the years.
That annual music festival, says Mary Fuller, who chairs Borough Council’s Parks & Rec Committee, was Carl’s creation, pride and joy.
"He built that up,” says Fuller. "He put his heart and soul into picking what he thought was the right balance of talent, and he loved bringing that to the people of Lansdale.”
Carl Saldutti started working for Lansdale parks as a teenager, and the relationship blossomed from there. He was presented with Lansdale’s Lifetime Achievement Award in its second year, 2013; he died Oct. 20, 2018, after a short illness, at age 69.
Lansdale’s entire parks system was under Saldutti’s trust, and he tended it as if it were his own garden. "You can’t go into a park and not think about Carl,” says Fuller. "He had a strong passion for what he did and how he felt about the parks."
But the Whites Road Concert Series was a singular achievement. Now in its 37th year, the concerts feature some of the most talented artists in the area and well beyond. He vetted every act personally, and became friends with many. "I think you will find, in speaking to band members, how well he treated them and what a good give and take they had. He knew what he was doing. He loved that series,” Fuller says.
Indeed, his most beloved bands unanimously return the sentiment.
"Whenever Carl would call to book my group, it’s wouldn’t be just a business call,” said
Eric Mintel, whose jazz quartet regularly plays Whites Road series and most recently has performed Charlie Brown Christmas concerts at Penndale Middle School. "He would always ask how I was doing. Every time I talked to Carl, he was always filled with energy.
"Carl was such a genuine music lover and staunch supporter,” said
Mike Guldin, whose Rollin’ & Tumblin’ was another favorite. "I’ve known Carl since the old days when Whites Road Park still had the ice skating rink in the 70’s. Our drummer Matt McNally and Carl were skate guards there together. Every couple of years Carl would call and say, ‘It’s time to have You and The Tumblers perform back in our home town again.’ Sadly, I will miss receiving those calls.”
"Carl was a ‘salt of the earth’ kind of guy, which is indeed a rare breed these days,” said
guitarist/songwriter Craig Thatcher. "He seemed genuinely very proud of the amphitheater – it's a really lovely venue to perform in. We were all shocked and saddened by his untimely passing.”
Carl "showed his support in many ways,” said Bethanne Reid and Bernie Klemmer of the
RGM Project, which is releasing a live-CD compilation of Whites Road concerts in Carl’s memory. "He would show up at many of our other gigs – all over the tri-county area. It was awesome to be in the middle of a concert, look out into the crowd and see him with that amazing smile and those beautiful blue eyes.
"It was truly an honor to have known and worked with him, and we have no doubt he is up in the heavens, booking gigs with all the angels.”
And from California, "Carl’s friends in
Incendio - Jim, Liza, Tim and JP” said via email, "He (was) always warm, always accommodating, and always concerned with our experience (and) the audience’s experience. … it is attention to those small details that help make a band’s schedule a little more fulfilling and a little less exhausting.
"Carl cared, loved his work, and made this series happen because he loved this community and this venue. We loved him,” they said. "He will be missed.”
A Salute to Saldutti: The 2019 Concert Series at Whites Road Park runs Tuesdays at 7 p.m. and is funded in part by Project Stream, a grant initiative of the Pennsylvania on the Arts regionally administered by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance.
The lineup:
May 28: North Penn High School Jazz Ensembles
June 4: Montgomery County Concert Band
June 11: Mike Guldin and Rollin' & Tumblin'
June 18: Cabin Dogs
June 25: Billy Bauer Band
July 2: RGM Project
July 9: Eastern Hellbenders
July 16: JD Malone & The Experts
July 23: Eric Mintel Quartet
July 30: Incendio
August 6: Craig Thatcher
August 13: Dibbs & The Detonators
August 20: The Mighty Manatees
This story is adapted from a feature in the Spring 2019 Events Edition of Discover Lansdale Magazine. A longer version can be found in the magazine and is available on the Discover Lansdale website.
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