A Walk in the Yard with Jan Prosseda

A Walk in the Yard with Jan Prosseda

by Lisa Hummel

Recently, MODE had the opportunity to sit down with Jan Prosseda, BackYard Bash Coordinator and President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of its non-profit organization, BackYard Benefits. Amidst a flurry of last minute preparations for the July 21 event, Prosseda was able to sit back, relax, and fill us in on what it’s like to throw the biggest party of the summer — for the past 15 years.

MODE Weekly: Take us back to the beginning. How did The BackYard Bash originate?
Jan Prosseda: Initially some friends asked me to go in with them on a party. It was June, 1987. It went pretty well, so we decided to have another one, but at a different location because we had to leave the original location at midnight. But on the day of the event at the new location the homeowner’s association decided they didn’t want it there so we had to change it —and it was changed to my backyard. It has just grown from there.

MODE: When did it become a public event and why charge admission? Who benefits from the proceeds?
Prosseda: It kept growing and by 1992 we couldn’t afford to pay for it anymore. And we made it a charity event because we didn’t care to make any money on it. We support the Harrisburg Parks Partnership every year and this year we’re also helping out the Secret Safe Place for Newborns. Over the years, we’ve helped Special Olympics, the Boys and Girls Club, the Central Allison Hill Community Center … we are mostly geared towards children’s organizations.

MODE: How much money has been raised?
Prosseda: BackYard Benefits [organizers of BackYard Bash and the annual Halloween party, The Red Hot Strawberry Ball] has donated over $100,000 to area organizations since 1992.

MODE: How many people attend the Bash each year?
Prosseda: It was originally 200-300 and then it went up to about 1,000. Then we got a band and started with a mailing list and it went up to over 2,000. Last year, it was down a little bit because it rained buckets around here, so we only had about 1,800. The most we have ever had was 2,300.

MODE: That’s quite an impressive number. And The Bash encompassed just your yard and the surrounding yards?
Prosseda: Yes, and we had the street in the back and then a parking lot — we kept expanding. But we knew we couldn’t be there forever if it kept growing, so that is one of the reasons we decided to try it downtown. There’s a lot more room there. We have all of Locust Street, between Second and Third streets, plus the big parking lot and the exit from that parking lot over to Walnut Street, almost 50,000 square feet of an area.

MODE: As you said, for the first time since 1992, the Bash has a new location. Why was the decision made to move it downtown?
Prosseda: The Downtown Improvement District (DID) and the Mayor [Stephen R. Reed] asked us to bring it downtown for the 15th Anniversary.

MODE: Are you looking forward to the change? Any hesitancy?
Prosseda: Oh, no. We’re excited about it. I expect that we’ll have as many as 3,000 people, even though we’re stacked up against a lot of competition — the Big 33 football game in Hershey, a Senators game, the Madonna concert in Philadelphia, the Bon Jovi concert the next day in Hershey — but I think we’ll have a good time. And everybody has been very supportive. And that’s also part of the reason for the move, we want to help the downtown and hopefully people will go to the bars after the event and then keep coming back.

MODE: Fifteen years later, is it still fun?
Prosseda: It’s fun for the guests. For me, it’s a lot of work.

MODE: Why keep doing it?
Prosseda: It’s something positive, it’s good for the community, it’s good for the beneficiaries. It’s known as a place where you renew old friendships and make new ones. Some people meet and get married.

MODE: Really? Married?
Prosseda: Yes. A few that I know of. A couple of years ago a guy and a girl met in the line for the lavatory. It’s great.

MODE: Can you really imagine a summer without you heading The Bash?
Prosseda: I think it’d be a lot easier for me, but I know I’d miss it. Eventually somebody else will take over.

MODE: And then maybe you can just go and enjoy it…
Prosseda: Well, I’m sure I’d probably still help out, but I wouldn’t have nearly as much to do. There’s a lot of details, making the fliers, it’s a lot of work.

MODE: How far in advance to do you plan the event?
Prosseda: I start in January. In fact, I’m thinking of themes for the next three years.

MODE: So it’s safe to say that 15 years ago you didn’t see yourself still doing this?
Prosseda: Oh, no. It was never intended to be like this. I had a party in 1985 when I sold my house and I never expected to have another one. Until those guys asked me to go in on the one in 1987. And the only reason it got to my house was because it was changed on the day of the event. It definitely wasn’t planned! [laughs]

MODE: But you’ve got to be glad you’ve continued it. It means a lot to a lot of people.
Prosseda: That’s part of our mission, to make it a quality event that’s affordable to the general public. We charge an admission that is all you can eat and drink with a couple of bands. You can’t beat that.

MODE: So what can people expect from this year’s event?
Prosseda: They can expect to have a good time. The people make the event. We want everyone to have a good time and we try to give everybody everything that we can so that they’re happy. That’s why we spend so much time on it.

The 15th Annual BackYard Bash will be held July 21 from 8 p.m.- 11:30 p.m. on and around Locust Street in downtown Harrisburg. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 on the day of the event. Admission includes free food and drink and live entertainment from Full Impact and Polyester. For tickets and information, call 236-0477. Must be 21 or older to attend.