LEWISTON — Crowds of music lovers will start pouring into the village today for the annual rite of Western New York known as “Tuesday in the Park.”

The economic impact of the free concert series at Artpark — which kicks off at 6:30 p. m. with a performance by the popular ’70s band War — and the estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people it attracts will be matched only by traffic snarls and parking challenges for the summer season.

Local officials cheer the infusion of sales tax revenue and positive publicity. But business owners are decidely split into two camps: those who say “bring it on” and those who say “get it over with.”

Michael Broderick, owner of the Orange Cat Coffee Co. on Center Street, is solidly in the former category.

“Every year, we seem to have more and more people out on the patio,” Broderick said. “The exposure the village gets by having these shows is the largest advantage, but in the summer, there’s always something going on.”

Count the manager of the Syros Greek Restaurant on Cayuga Street, Ken Black, in the “get it over with” camp. He said that he personally likes the concerts but that the traffic associated with the series “kills my business” and has forced him to close early.

“If they had a better exit strategy, it would be great, but not for those of us who are stuck right in the belly of the beast [at the Portage Road exit],” Black said. “We have to hope that when people go by our restaurant they will come back on another day of the week.”

One of the ironies of the free concert series is how much money it generates. Mayor William E. Geiben said the business that comes from the event makes it one of the top sales tax contributors in the community.

The mayor acknowledged that not every business sees an immediate return from the concerts but that people who enjoy the show tend to come back for another visit.

Jamie Symmonds, owner of Angel to Apple women’s clothing store, said she has waited on customers who tell her they saw her closed store while stuck in traffic after the show and decided to come back to shop.

“It brings thousands and thousands of people here each week,” Symmonds said. “I don’t mind it. I think it’s good for the economy — period.”

An estimated 230,000 people attended Artpark last summer, including the free concerts and other performances.

Artpark & Co. President George D. Osborne said the economic impact is enormous.

“I think most of the restaurant owners have spoken out pretty strongly about how it has affected their businesses,” he said. “Every place that has chosen to stay open is packed.”

Alan Hastings said he is torn over the Artpark issue. The manager of the Silo at Lewiston Landing said he loses parking and doesn’t gain more customers.

“If I had an after-hours drinking establishment, it would be beneficial, but my sales drop enough to notice on Tuesdays,” Hastings said. “But it does bring people to Lewiston, and when Lewiston gets a new customer, that’s a benefit to Lewiston. The community loves it.”

Jon DiBernardo, who owns the Water Street Landing Restaurant on the Niagara River, had a similar opinion.

“For some of the bars right on the strip [on Center Street], their business increases by 300 to 400 percent, but for me, business doubles on a good day,” Di- Bernardo said. “But regardless, you get bodies down here, and eventually everybody makes money.

“All in all,” he concluded, “it’s one of the best things in Western New York.”