Community Concerts & Fountain Park

With all this beautiful summer weather we have been experiencing in May, I have really been in the mood for some musical fun in Fountain Park.  Driving by the park in downtown Van Wert, I have noticed the Evergreen Garden Club and the City Parks & Recreation Department working extra hard, preparing a lovely setting for our summer concerts.  The grass is green, the mulch is brown and fresh, and soon, new light poles will be going up to replace the rotted wooden ones.  Once again, a donation from the Van Wert Rotary Club will help spur this project, coordinated by the city.

We certainly do appreciate the efforts of the city workers and especially those volunteer organizations that give of their time to make Fountain Park a beautiful place to enjoy concerts and relax.

We are only two weeks away from the Peony and ArtRageous Festivals, which means our first Fountain Park Summer Music Series concert is June 1.  The Bronx Wanderers will start us off with fun from the 1950s. With the revival of Doo-Wop and the Jersey Boys on Broadway, this music is right on for today’s audience.  Get set to roll up your sleeves, check out the car show hot rods parked on Main Street and Jefferson, and then settle in for some exciting music from one of the nation’s finest Doo-Wop bands who come to us from New Jersey as they cross this great nation of ours.

The Peony Festival will be serving food out of the Rotary food booth, but many other delicious food vendors will be present to tempt your appetites too.  It will be another huge weekend as we kick off the summer in Fountain Park.

After a week off, we return to the park with the Doo-Wah Riders (not to be confused with the Doo-Wop of the Bronx Wanderers on June 1).  I’ll tell you more about the Doo-Wah Riders in the coming weeks, but if you really want to check them out, log onto doowahriders.com and you can see and hear all about them.  I think you will really enjoy them on June 15.

Meanwhile at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center, we are busy renewing Community Concert tickets. Those who were season subscribers this past year have until May 30, when we will open all seats to the public.  Of course, this very affordable season of five concerts is highlighted by the Lennon Sisters on Saturday (what other day of the week could it possibly be?), October 6.  Three of the sisters are still performing and sound great.  They will bring their complete band and create another memorable evening at the NPAC this fall.  The other four concerts are spectacular too!  You’ll just have to see them to believe me.

The NPAC box office will be closed this Monday in observance of Memorial Day and then our summer schedule will kick in, noon-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, closed on Mondays.

Keep watching for the big announcement about our Grand Series.  It will feature some of the biggest stars and shows currently touring the U.S. and the world.  We will be celebrating five years, so you know it will be a special season.  Keep an eye on the media, our website: www.npacvw.org and our Facebook page for the Niswonger Performing Arts Center.  They also include information about the Fountain Park Summer Music Series of which I will see you in just a couple short weeks!

FINÉ.