Mount Kisco Summer Concert Series Returns This Month With Eclectic Mix
There are reasons to celebrate now that life is slowly emerging from the pandemic. Starting this evening, local music lovers can rejoice some more.
After a one-year break due to the coronavirus, the Village of Mount Kisco is bringing back its Fountain Park Concert Series outside Village Hall. From tonight through Sept. 8 there will be eight early evenings of music on alternating Wednesdays by local musicians and groups covering a wide assortment of genres.
With nearly everyone largely confined to home over the last year, conventional wisdom suggests that there may be pent-up demand on the part of local residents to come out for a concert.
“I am personally so excited to be able to get back into the sunshine again and visit with our neighbors,” said Jean Farber, a former village trustee and part of the Mount Kisco Arts Council that is presenting the concert series. “Everyone is just starved to be together and that’s one of the nicest, most bonding ways to do it. So we are really thrilled, and as you can see, we have a very interesting lineup of artists.”
The council’s music coordinator, Dan Blake, who established the series in 2018, helped program this year’s performers with what he described as the most diverse lineup of the first three seasons.
Leading off is the Sun Kings, a Beatles cover band, followed two weeks later by Wayne Tucker, a jazz performer with an emphasis on social justice issues a few days before Juneteenth.
On June 30, there will be a children’s music program from Live Music With Luke, then Blake, a contemporary jazz saxophonist will take the stage on July 14.
After a year without performing, Blake, a village resident who in March had his latest album released, said it’s been an emotional experience getting back out in front live audiences.
“The playing itself, the music has been so alive and just deeper than before,” Blake said.
The series continues on July 28 with Puppets for Hire, a local rock ‘n’ roll band, followed by a blues and R&B group on Aug. 11.
The last two concerts feature a group called Upside on Aug. 25 and the New York Arabic Orchestra for the finale on Sept. 8. If there is a rainout during the summer, Sept. 15 will serve as a makeup date.
All concerts start at 6:30 p.m. and are free.
Blake said there will be seats but local residents can carry a blanket for a picnic or bring food from one of the downtown restaurants.
“We have chairs that we set up outside in the past,” he said. “People can bring their own chairs. You sometimes see families come with a stroller and blanket, they’re going to be in a picnic-type situation and people bring food if they want their own food, and then there are some built-in benches in the area between the library and Village Hall.”
Farber said the village will follow local and state guidance regarding limits on gatherings. Currently, for outdoor events, the capacity is 500 people.
For more information, including whether there will be a cancellation because of inclement weather, visit the Mount Arts Council’s Facebook page or follow on Instagram.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/