Get Outside, Get Listening: Outdoor Summer Concert Roundup
One sure sign of summer is the multitude of outdoors concerts. In the Tri-Town area, Essex and Deep River residents enjoy town-sponsored summer concerts at scenic spots in town. There’s plenty for Chester residents, too, with Leif Nilsson’s Concerts in the Garden series plus Sunday night concerts at Cedar Lake.
Essex
A town mainstay, the Essex Parks & Recreation Summer Concert Series alternates between Tuesdays in Ivoryton and Wednesdays in Essex from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on the town greens.
“As long as I can remember, these concerts have been promoted by the town—at least the past couple decades,” said Mary Ellen Barnes, director of Essex Parks & Recreation.
Each year, residents eagerly anticipate the return of their favorite bands.
“We have some bands that come back every year. They have a really great following,” said Barnes. “I definitely have some new bands every year, but we do have some mainstays that come every year that people enjoy.”
This year marks the debut of River of Dreams, as well as modern country band Southern Voice. The Billy Joel tribute band performs the next concert, Wednesday, July 13 at Essex Main Street.
“It’ll be the first time they’ve played—same with Southern Voice, they’re a new band as well,” noted Barnes.
If you’re one of the rare few who has yet to check out the series in person, pack yourself a picnic or pick up dinner to go from one of the local businesses, and join in the fun, family atmosphere on the green.
“We want to invite our entire community,” said Barnes, who noted that the series is sponsored by the Town of Essex. “It’s open to everyone—doesn’t matter if you’re a senior or a preschooler—we want to encourage the entire community to go.”
Deep River
Still a mainstay—if not quite as long-running as the Essex series—the Deep River Music & a Meal series features a different band and accompanying restaurant each Thursday at 6:30 p.m. during the summer.
“We thought it was a nice way to help people show up with just a lawn chair and not have to worry about dinner,” said Carol Jones, director of Deep River Parks & Recreation.
A couple Parks & Rec commission members thought it’d be a nice break for residents who want to attend the series but are short on time after leaving work.
“We kind of responded to that as a commission and said, ‘How about we have a restaurant on site?’” said Jones. “We’ve approached our area restaurants and asked them if they’d like to come on board. Some of them have picked a venue that’s their favorite, others have a certain band they’d like to work with, others will go wherever we’ve asked them to go and with whichever band we’d like them to pair up with.”
You can bring your own meal if you prefer. In either case, the pairing of music and meal is a definite hit.
“It’s been a great response,” Jones commented. “People like the convenience, they like to know they can grab something there. And having a variety of restaurants keeps it interesting.”
She added, “I think it helps the restaurants, too. If they are enjoying the meal I’d imagine they are bound to go to that restaurant.”
The series is sponsored by Essex Savings Bank, the Deep River-Chester Lions Club, and Deep River Rotary.
“They either sponsor a band outright or make a donation toward the whole budget that we spend on bands,” Jones noted.
The series started June 23 at Town Landing, with the White Eyed Lizard Band. Students from the culinary program at the Academy at Mount Saint John served up food at the series premiere. Future meals will be provided by Dough on Main, the Ivory Restaurant, the Whistle Stop, Pizzeria DaVinci, and the Lace Factory, plus one newbie to the scene.
“Our new little hot dog stand in town—Deep River Dog House—is going to participate as one of our food vendors,” Jones added.
From kids dancing to rock music at Plattwood Park to jazz at the historical setting of the Stone House, each week’s concert draws dedicated music fans as well as more casual attendees. It’s hard to choose a favorite venue, but many agree there’s something special about outdoor concerts at Deep River Landing.
“I think something about sitting on a beautiful summer evening on the banks of the Connecticut River listening to music is just amazing,” said Jones. “You watch the sunset, there are kids dancing—it’s kind of the perfect New England summer evening.”
Chester
Chester doesn’t have a town-run summer concert series, but it lacks nothing in the summer music department. Mike LaChance at the Cedar Lake Snack Shack serves up a free concert series—alongside lobster rolls and other summer fare—every Sunday night on the beach. The series started up last year and shows every sign of becoming a summer mainstay.
“We started last year, and had various different types of music. It’s gone over pretty well,” said LaChance, who estimated a couple hundred people at a recent concert.
The series features everything from rock to jazz and blues. Recently it even brought a 15-piece violin band to the lake shore. The bands are mostly local, thanks to LaChance’s connection to Bill’s Seafood in Westbrook. As a bartender for 30 years at the popular seafood restaurant, he’s made connections—and friends—with the musicians who play each week.
“I listen to music almost every night,” LaChance explained. “A lot of those bands are friends of mine, they come down and play at the lake. They love playing there.”
And the community loves to hear it.
“People paddle up on their kayaks and listen to it, there’s kids running around—it’s totally a family venue,” said LaChance. “It’s really nice there.”
If you visit, be sure to leave a decent tip. The concerts are free, and tips help pay the evening’s musicians.
Also in Chester, gallery owner and artist Leif Nilsson presents his Concerts in the Garden series on Thursdays and select Friday evenings at the Leif Nilsson Spring Street Studio and Gallery. There are no reservations; doors open a half hour before each show. The next concert, Plywood Cowboy on Friday, July 8, features multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter Steve Dedman of Lyme and his band.
“It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it to introduce artists to the area and the area to artists they might not otherwise know about,” Nilsson commented. “I have this beautiful backyard with an amphitheater that I built and it’s a great place to have an outdoor concert, especially in the evening in the summertime. It’s just a magical feeling and everyone seems to feel that way.”
He continued, “D. B. Rielly said last weekend that this is a special place not just for the area, but the whole eastern United States. He said he’d never been to a place quite like this before, so I guess the word is out!”
The concerts are open to all ages; bring a beverage or a picnic if desired. Nilsson requests a donation of $20 per person; kids attend for free.