Deb Malewski
Contributing Writer
June 3 is the official start of the Summer Concert Series on the Square. Every Thursday for twelve weeks you will find great bands playing great music on the old Eaton County Courthouse lawn, downtown Charlotte. Concerts begin at 6:30 p.m. Just bring a lawn chair or a blanket to sit on to enjoy a nostalgic evening of fun.
What will make this year’s concerts even better are the other activities that are happening on Thursdays. The Charlotte Artisans and Farmers Market takes place from 2 until 6 p.m. in the newly renovated Beach Market on Thursdays. The Charlotte Cruise Night happens on Thursdays from 6 until 8 p.m., also, so you’ll see lots of vintage and classic cars cruising downtown.
“We like to say it’s the best outside summer concert series in the area,” Courtney Mead, executive director of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, said with a smile. “And this year we have booked the longest series ever—we have 12 bands booked that play a wide variety of music.” In the past, there have been only six to eight weeks of concerts. All bands booked are Michigan based and are family-friendly, Mead added.
“After having to cancel some of last year’s concerts due to COVID, I was excited to have every Thursday booked for this summer by February,” said Mead. Concerts at the Courthouse have taken place for ten years, but this is only the second year for the Chamber to be coordinating the event. In the past the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) was in charge.
The event is sponsored by many local businesses and non-profits and is free to the public. One concert is being sponsored by concertgoers who passed the bucket last year and collected enough to sponsor a band themselves.
Those attending can expect to hear rock and roll, country, gospel, bluegrass, oldies, and more. The Sea Cruisers will kick off the season on June 3.
“The Sea Cruisers are a local favorite,” Mead said, “and they really bring a crowd.” The Sea Cruisers are a professional four-piece band and play 50s, 60s, and 70s music.
The concerts in the past have been well attended. This summer’s concerts will still use proper COVID procedures, such as social distancing for listeners.
“They are just fun,” Sherry Copenhaver, who has attended the concerts in the past, said. “I just love how you can see old friends and family, and watch people dance. It’s a great mood booster!”
Copenhaver also commented on the concerts last summer held with COVID-19 precautions. “It shows how successful and popular the concerts are when people
are willing to sit outside with masks on! They just seemed so happy.”
Contact the Chamber at 517-543-0400 for more information or visit their website at micharlotte.org.
