Organizers hope this Oakland concert will bring more people to Lake Merritt

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- It was a cold and breezy night on Friday, but it's nothing to stop the locals as Oakland will host another concert at Lake Merritt on Saturday.

ABC7's Ryan Curry spoke with the organizers of about why they think Love Lake Merritt will bring more people to lake regularly.

"I have lived in the area for about 13 years and all the cool stuff that happens in the East Bay kind of happens around here," said Matthew Lewis, a North Oakland resident.

"I do see it is always poppin' over here on the weekends," said Tatiana klein, who lives near Lake Merritt.

They look upon Lake Merritt with joy.

And it's probably going to be "poppin" again this weekend.

On Saturday, Lake Merritt will be the home of an afternoon concert called Love Lake Merritt.

"We can see things changing and becoming better, but perception is hard to fight," said Kymberly Miller, the executive director of Fairyland at Lake Merritt.

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More security and stricter rules are now in place at the Contra Costa County Fair in an effort to improve safety after there were several fights among teenagers last year.

She is one of several organizing the event, where the focus is to bring as many people to the lake as possible.

"We have had a tough year in Oakland, but we are all about positive vibes and we want to bring art and culture, which is what we are known for, down to the lake. From music to visual art to dance to make sure to remind Oaklanders what it is all about," Miller said.

"I kind of feel like it is the central park of the Bay Area. I mean it is one of the cooler areas where you have a mix of natural outdoor amenities with the trees the lake the restaurants and there is really not a place in the bay that has that," Lewis said.

Earlier this week, a huge crowd came to Lake Merritt for a different concert.

Miller says those concerts and the one on Saturday do great things for the local economy.

"More people at the lake. More people at Fairyland. More people at the library. More people going to the museum to see art. More people going to the restaurants that circle the lake. More people just taking advantage of what the lake has to offer," Miller said.

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Some call Lake Merritt a city treasure.

"It is great that it is a public land space that people can use, and it is a space that is really accessible to a lot of people," said Willa Bartholomay, who is visiting Oakland for the weekend.

They hope Saturday will encourage more people to consistently come back.

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