Music in the Park begins May 30 in Grinnell

GRINNELL -- If it’s summer, it must be Thursday Music in the Park.

Bring blankets and camp chairs, grab a bite from a local restaurant or the Hy-Vee food truck at the park, and join the Grinnell Area Arts Council on Grinnell’s Central Park Stage at 7 p.m. Thursday evenings for music from old favorites and new finds.

Check the Arts Council’s Facebook page or listen to KGRN 1410 AM radio for inclement weather updates.

The summer kicks off May 30 with The Awful Purdies from Iowa City, a folk-Americana collective. The five women weave harmonies with banjo, accordion, cello, guitar, mandolin and bass.

The Grinnell Community band will play each week during June, bringing together talented members of the Grinnell community to play a variety of concert band music, from marches to movie medleys.

Turlach Ur Pipe Band of Grinnell will perform July 4. Founded in 2007, Turlach is the largest pipe band in Iowa, with more than 30 members.

In 2016, Turlach Ur travled to Glasgow, Scotland, for the Pipe Band World Championships.

The Whiskey Fund will cover rock and blues favorites July 11. The band features seasoned Iowa musicians, including Jon Edwards, of Grinnell.

Barefoot Becky and the Ivanhoe Dutchmen will play in Central Park Pavilion, not on a Thursday, but Tuesday, July 16.

The Johnny Burgin Band from Chicago and California is scheduled for July 18. The band plays coast-to-coast Chicago blues. Johnny has won numerous accolades, tours internationally and hosts the No Border Blues podcast.

Son Peruchos, from Des Moines, will play July 25. The band is a fusion of Andean and South American folk music and uses traditional instruments, such as the zampona, quena and charango.

The group inteagrates traditional Andean sound with more modern Latin and Caribbean rhythms, such as cumbia, bachata and rock en español. Catch them regularly at Noce Jazz Cabaret in Des Moines.

Sponsors for the 2024 music season include the City of Grinnell Hotel-Motel Tax Committee, Grinnell College, Grinnell Mutual, Ramsey Weeks, The Vinyl Shop, Brent and Dawn Jaeger and Helen Redmond and Pete Brownell.