Some people in St. Joseph may think they have a lot to complain about when it comes having exciting things to do in town. They probably look at the arts, music and entertainment scenes of their neighbors to the north (Omaha) and south (KC and Lawrence, Kan.) and wonder why Joetown doesn’t have similar offerings.

But we here at St. Joe Live know that it’s not for a lack of trying. We cover the arts, theater, music and entertainment of the community and see individuals, groups and organizations who are doing their damndest to make sure that the local scene thrives and continues to advance. So, we decided to show some appreciation.

We asked various members of the arts and entertainment community — musicians, artists, owners of local venues and members of notable organizations — to tell us who they think are making the biggest impact in St. Joe. After a bit of tallying, here are the people and groups that got the most recognition.

ST. JOSEPH MUSIC FOUNDATION

Founded in spring 2007 by musician Larry Schildknecht, the St. Joseph Music Foundation has tried to bring musicians, bands, venues and fans together for the greater good of promoting the St. Joe music scene. Since the nonprofit organization’s inception, it has organized numerous benefit concerts, heavily promoted local concerts on its Web site www.stjosephmusicfoundation.org and in November 2008 launched its own online radio station, which regularly features songs and performances from St. Joe artists.

“I know that they’re constantly pushing shows and trying to bring awareness to musicians and who’s playing where,” says Todd Cooper, guitarist for Blue Oyster Culture Club, IT and Full Power. “I think it’s a really great thing.”

CAFE ACOUSTIC

The Cafe Acoustic isn’t exactly a new venue. It’s been around since 2004. But the quaint, laid-back establishment still comes to mind for many as a the city’s premiere open mic night, a torch-bearer for musical diversity and a proper showcase for the area’s seasoned players and up-and-coming talent.

“They have a real different venue than the rest of us do,” says Jimmy Green, owner of The Rendezvous. “The rest of us kind of do the loud stuff and they kind of give everybody a chance to express their music in a low-key, relaxed setting.”

LARRY BUCK

When it comes to artistic impact, Larry Buck has made it in two big ways. As a musician, he’s one of the most experienced and universally respected players in St. Joseph. But as president of the Downtown Association, Buck was a key organizer of the Sounds of Summer concert series in 1998, which features live weekly musical performances in Felix Street Square throughout the season.

“I think Larry Buck’s making a big impact on the music scene by getting that going in the summer time,” says Howards Words, guitarist for Page 2. “He’s one that I think is really going strong as far as getting something going in St. Joe.”

COLEMAN HAWKINS JAZZ SOCIETY

More than a decade ago, the Coleman Hawkins Jazz Society was co-founded by News-Press columnist Alonzo Weston and former News-Press columnist Mark Sheehan to celebrate Hawkins, a St. Joseph native son who’s widely known as “the father of the tenor sax,” and to build appreciation for a true American art form.

Since 1999, it’s done this with the Coleman Hawkins Jazz Festival, a free, two-day summer concert featuring local and national jazz acts.

“Everything that we had coming to that point, a lot of it was country. ... Occasionally, I want to listen to somebody else,” says Kathy Reno, public relations official for St. Joseph Museums. “It gave everybody some variety, some choice, that there is more (history) to us than the Pony Express and Jesse James.”

In recent years, the organization added the late-summer Coleman Hawkins Blues Festival, another free event that helps raise money for the jazz fest while promoting local and regional talent and an appreciation for another influential musical genre.

JEFF HANEY

The business manager for the long-running Robidoux Resident Theatre community theater group has taken RRT’s reach well outside of mere theatrics since his tenure began.

The arts organization has expanded its season with smaller, more intimate productions at the Robidoux Landing Playhouse. This season, it added the Bravo Series, bringing in national touring stage performers, along with recurring events such as its Mystery Dinner Theatre and the Cracker House Dinner Comedy Club.

Speaking of comedy, RRT was responsible for bringing in two of the biggest entertainment events to St. Joseph in recent years, booking Blue Collar comedian Ron White for two sold-out performances at the Missouri Theater in October 2008 and hosting Latino comedian Alex Reymundo as he taped his Showtime/Comedy Central stand-up special a year later.

“I think that he just has kind of an inner fire,” says Byron “Bemo” Myers II, artistic director for the New Generation Singers. “He’s just driven to kind of increase the quality of what his organization does in town.”

JAY KERNER

Jay Kerner has gone from owner of the Horseshoe Lake Drive-In to being a driving force in the city’s artistic happenings. His monthly alternative publication The Regular Joe is geared toward local entertainment events and issues. But what really helped make Kerner a friend to the visual arts was his involvement in starting the First Friday Art Crawl, where artists can showcase their work in cooperation with numerous downtown businesses.

“We’ve seen it work in other places and we thought it would work here,” Kerner says. “The people this is for is the artists and the venues themselves. Ultimately, it’s up to the people involved to drive the thing forward.”

If there is any person or organization you feel deserves recognition, leave a comment in the story online at www.stjoelive.com.