A diverse range of artists is set to hit the stage for this year’s Music in the Park series, which kicks off June 5 with the Flat Iron Jazz Band.
Performances, which are presented by the Lacombe Performing Arts Centre (LPAC), run on Wednesday evenings starting at 6:30 p.m. on the Lacombe Memorial Centre’s Echo Stage.
Shows will be moved to St. Andrew’s United Church in case of inclement weather.
“I just joined LPAC in August, so this is my first season in coming on the board for Music in the Park,” said Ali Clayton, community programmer with the Lacombe Performing Arts Centre.
“It’s been mostly Ellen Corea and Grant Harder, our board members, who have been the ones who spearhead Music in the Park. They have a lot of contacts in the music world, so we have a lot of returning and crowd favourites this year.
“We do have some new additions as well. We’ve also had other musicians reach out to us as the Music in the Park series grows and becomes more popular. Artists have been coming to us, asking if they can be a part of it,” she said.
Other artists to be featured this year include Randi Boulton (June 12), Strings Galore (June 19), and the Rojo’s (June 26).
On July 1, celebrations for Canada Day will be held at Cranna Lake, and LPAC will be presenting entertainment featuring the band Juke.
This show starts at 9 p.m.
Off the Rails performs on July 3 back on the Echo Stage, followed by Blueprint (July 10), the Misery Mountain Boys (July 17), Memphis Mafia on July 24, and the Ultimate Berube Singalong on July 31.
August shows include Bobby Gosse on Aug. 7, Squidjigger on Aug. 14, the Heartbroke Heroes on Aug. 21, and wrapping up the season will be Taps on Aug. 28.
“What I have noticed is the energy,” said Clayton, referring to the weeks leading up to the start of the series.
“We’ve released the line-up — and from the comments we see on social media, and from what we are hearing from those we are talking to in the community, people are excited that this is part of their summer,” she explained.
“It’s such a fun thing.”
Music in the Park was launched back in 2013 with around 30 viewers.
It has since grown to over 300 viewers each week.