Mark your Fridays down this summer!

I hope you had the opportunity to see the release of this year’s Fountain Park Summer Music Series.  I am once again excited about the concerts we have coming into the park.  Each year, I think it will be difficult to match what we previously did, but then I hear of some more great performers and voila, another summer season comes together.

This year, we have eight Friday nights beginning on June 1 with quite a variety of musical performances for you to enjoy.  Our artists literally stretch from one coast to the other this year.  The Bronx Wanderers on June 1 come from New Jersey and the Doo-Wah Riders on June 15 come from California.  We then have three performers coming up from Nashville while another comes all the way from Texas!  The one from Texas actually knows Van Wert quite well.  Terry Jerome is a Van Wert native and will be joining forces with another VW native, Mel Deal as the two of them and several of their professional musician friends will be in the park for a reunion bash on July 13.  It should be a lot of fun!

I have been after the Doo-Wah Riders for a couple years.  I first heard them in New York at a showcase and thought they were a lot of fun.  Sometimes, you just can’t get a group and their music out of your head once you hear them.  This was the case for the Doo-Wah Riders.  I couldn’t get them to come out from California last summer, but this year we were fortunate and I think you’re going to really enjoy them.  They mix a lot of Country with a little bit of Cajun and what you have is a lot of fun!

Mel Deal gave me a thumbs up on this year’s Eagle Tribute Band: 7 Bridges — the Ultimate Eagles Experience. If anyone knows Nashville musicians, it’s our own Mel Deal.  Mel has played with so many over the years that if he doesn’t know them, he knows someone who does.  The Eagles have so many great hit songs and this group makes them sound just like you remember.  This concert has been moved from our original announcement.  If you have the schedule on your fridge, you will need to move the 7 Bridges concert from June 8 to June 22.  This was done to avoid a conflict in Eggerss Stadium.

If you are a bluegrass fan, you might recall Rhonda Vincent when she performed in the park in 2008.  We had such good memories of her visit the last time that I felt we needed to have her back.  She was also showcasing in New York City this last year and I reminded her of her visit in 2008.  She was so gracious and agreed to return.  You might recall her encore in 2008 when she invited all church choir members of the audience on stage and we had a good old-fashioned sings-peration of old hymns.  The Wall Street Journal has since called her “the new queen of bluegrass!”

The summer is rounded out with “Aftermath; Experience the Sixties” on July 20.  This group from Youngstown is a regular in the Youngstown Summer Music Festival and I think you will really enjoy them.  I know many of you remember the 1960’s…at least part of the sixties!

Being a fan of the band Chicago and all of their great music, I am thrilled to bring Brass Transit to close out our summer on August 10.  They bring the horns with the band and you will think you are enjoying Saturday in the Park; only it will be Friday.

And no July Fourth weekend would be right without the Lima Symphony Pops to help us celebrate our Independence Day.  Friday, June 29 welcomes the Pops back to Van Wert.

For a complete listing, go to the NPAC website: www.npacvw.org or find us on Face book.  Look for brochures to be popping up throughout the area too.  You can always stop by The VWCF office, parks department, and NPAC Grand Lobby and take as many as you please.

It will be quite a summer of eight exciting concerts in Fountain Park, courtesy of The Van Wert County Foundation with cooperation of the City Parks & Recreation.

FINÉ.