Sunday nights at Memorial Park are getting more lyrical as the city of Shawano’s Music in the Park series kicks off another season this weekend.
The KNX Party Band will start off the weekly series of concerts from 6:30-8 p.m. at the park shelter. In the coming weeks, individual musicians and bands such as Grayling Pingel, Northwood Brass, Melody Notes and Patchwork will provide musical enjoyment for locals and visitors alike.
Matthew Hendricks, the city’s park and recreation director, said the summer series is made possible because of Cliff Elertson, a local resident with numerous connections to local musicians.
“He kind of knows what’s happening out there,” Hendricks said. “He organizes who plays. It’s good to see a community member who has a passion for recreational activity and is out there to make it happen.”
The concerts have an average attendance of 60 people, according to Hendricks, who described the concerts as a mainstay of summer for Shawano.
“It’s a good mix of different bands each week, so you get to hear something new each Sunday night,” Hendricks said. “There’s probably a social piece to it, too. A lot of people have just made that a part of their annual Sunday evening routines, and they go meet friends and family, folks that they enjoy getting together with every Sunday.”
Memorial Park is the best spot for concerts, in Hendricks’ opinion, because of its central location. There are other parks in the city that could easily sustain concerts, but they’re not all near heavy residential areas like Memorial, where locals can easily take a stroll Sunday nights to watch the concerts.
“There are many neighbors where it’s in their backyard, per se,” Hendricks said. “Then you’re only a short distance from an ice cream shop, the Mountain Bay Trail.”
The concerts are free, but people are encouraged to bring their own chairs due to the limited number of benches available at the shelter.
