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SPRINGFIELD - With the huge success of the past two summers, “Sounds of Summer ~ Concerts in The Parks” series returns to Blunt Park for five consecutive shows on Tuesday nights beginning July 8th. The outdoor evening concerts are all free to the public.
In addition to funding through the City, the series continues at no cost to concert-goers due to a grant from the Springfield Cultural Council (SCC). A successful grant of close to $3000 will give Sounds of Summer its third year.
With requests for funding at a high, particularly this year, the SCC came to the rescue of this series. In the case of Sounds of Summer, it took long-range planning to seek monies. The application was written in October to meet SCC’s annual deadline. Yet, as with all grants, none are promised and many are unsuccessful. It was January when the staff at the Springfield Parks received the good news that “the music will be heard.”
From July 8 to August 5 the concerts will feature a mix to please everyone, including soul, oldies, pop, and Latin. The entertainment selection committee especially wanted to support local talent, and that is the cast with all of the hired groups - plus one special internationally famous treat.
“I think that some agencies do not realize that SCC is a wonderful opportunity from which to seek funding for worthwhile art projects,” said Director of Community Programming & Special Events, Sandy Federico. “We knew that our audiences would miss the concerts, so we applied for a grant. It was wonderful to hear that we were selected,” she continued.
The Springfield Cultural Council is one of hundreds in the Commonwealth. Each is run by a group of volunteers, selected by the Mayor. The members take their roles on the Council very seriously, as there are always far more requests than funds.
The series began in 2006 and has built up audiences ever since that first concert on a warm July evening. Purposely designed as a family event, picnicking is encouraged, and audience members should bring blankets and lawn chairs. According to the Parks Department Director Patrick Sullivan, "Music is a common denominator in creating a communal atmosphere to people who live close to one another. We anticipate that this will again be the case for each of our concerts."
The line-up of the Tuesday concerts is as follows. The series kicks-off with the popular soul/Motown group Souled Out on July 8th. Jose Gonzales & Criollo Clasico perform Latin/Caribbean music on July 15th. Oldies is the theme on July 22nd with The Memories. The well-known group Brass Attack takes the band shell stage on July 22nd. The series caps off with more local great oldies but goodies from Corey & the Knightsmen along with special guest The Coasters - of "Charlie Brown, He's a Clown" fame. All concerts run from 7pm – 9pm with the exception of the final concert which begins at 6:30pm.
Blunt Park is located on Roosevelt Avenue, Springfield and offers lots of free parking. The rain site is Central High School on Roosevelt Avenue, Springfield, just next door to Blunt Park. For complete details check the website at www.springfieldparks.com or call 413-787-6435.
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