Hastings Live 2017 has proved to be everything its supporters hoped for and more, its entertainment programs drawing large crowds of residents and making it a destination for visitors.

Community Development Director Jerry Czarnecki gave the Hastings City Council some figures Monday on average attendance at the events, noting the turnouts were greater than expected.

The season included 50 concerts and four movies. Czarnecki said Wednesday concerts drew 2,000; Fridays at the Fountain, 550; Friday Night Concerts, 4,200 and Saturday Night concerts, 1,000. Already working on next year’s schedule, they are deciding which bands to bring back and which new acts to introduce.

“We felt that this summer set the bar high, and now we have to do better,” Czarnecki said. They plan more advance publicity  next year, he added. Support for Hastings Live came from many quarters, he said;  a state arts grant, local businesses and foundations, private donations and collected donations.