AGAWAM – Even with COVID-19’s grasp on modern society, the Agawam Cultural Council (ACC) has developed what it believes to be a formidable process for their Applause Series over the course of the coming months.

ACC Chair Bob Kadis spoke in detail about how the transition from in-person shows to online shows has affected the Applause Series in its 17th season.

“The transition was kind of straightforward,” said Kadis. “I mean, once I knew we could have a YouTube channel, I went ahead and set that up.”

The YouTube channel provides an outlet for people who may want to view the scheduled shows on their smartphone or laptop, according to Kadis. If not, then residents can watch the event on Agawam Comcast Channel 15, or stream it on demand at www.agawammedia.tv.

All of the upcoming shows for the season are either from the council’s archive of past videos, or pre-recorded in a secluded area over the course of the past few months. Some still need to be recorded for 2021’s slate.

According to Kadis, entertainers initially couldn’t find the means for recording their show, as much of the technology was either unattainable or too expensive.

Kadis offered to record the performers at Agawam School Street Park in the bandshell during the summer, but only two performers agreed to this alternative. The majority opted to record themselves from their own personal homes and studios, or not at all. For example, guitar duo Judy Handler and Mark Levesque looked into a professional videographer to record a show that the council could use.

Les Tingley, the manager of Agawam Media, told Reminder Publishing that the biggest difficulty for him involves a balance between finding worthwhile content and following social distancing measures.
“The biggest difficulty has been walking a fine line between good broadcast content, and following mandated guidelines by the governor and city health director,” said Tingely. “Distancing, for example, has been a real challenge with stage performances.”

Since all of the performances during the pandemic have been pre-recorded, Kadis said that editing has been another major obstacle prior to broadcasting, especially since the ACC needed to find a proper location for this process.

“When I say editing, it’s truly a long and laborious process,” said Kadis. “It takes hours to do one show, maybe five or six hours.”

The ACC is using an editing station at the Agawam Library to make necessary changes to the video before it is streamed on the TV and internet. The shows go through a couple of different iterations before it’s officially ready, according to Kadis. Agawam Media sets it up for showing.

If performers are unable to send a video in, then the ACC will immediately find a replacement. This is exactly what is happening for the Nov. 6 show. A 2019 recording of a Jimmy Mazz performance will replace guitarist Ken Lelan for that specific night.     Due to the pandemic, Kadis has also offered a stipend to performers who are willing to allow the ACC to use their pre-recorded show for these time slots. This also applies in the case of the Mazz recording.

“We had the pre-recorded (show), and then I went ahead and asked Mr. Mazz if we could run it on Nov. 6, 2020,” said Kadis. “I said I could offer him a stipend, which I did, and he accepted.”

In July, Reminder Publishing reported that the ACC needed donations to pay for performers if they hadn’t gotten support. Since that article, things have looked better for the council, according to Kadis.  

“We got more than we asked for in way of support, so that gave us opportunities now to add additional shows,” said Kadis.

Season 17 for example features 13 shows, which is three more than a usual season. There’s a special December performance in store that Kadis wants to keep a secret until the press release is out.

In the meantime, the ACC is asking people to donate on their website page, agawamcc.org. Since “free will donations” won’t be possible thanks to COVID-19, Agawam residents are using this page as a way to help out. Donations will fund other performances and events within the organization, thus helping the community in the process.

“For example, with the excess money, we’re able to do things like a writing contest, which we’ve just launched [from Oct. 15 to Nov. 30],” said Kadis.

For those looking to watch the Mazz event on Nov. 6 from 7 to 8 p.m., you can either stream it on demand at www.agawammedia.tv, or watch it on Agawam Comcast Channel 15.