The Danville Arts Commission announced it will be hosting a summer concert series that will run from June 16 to August 11.

The Commission is funding five concerts that will bring great music and bands to different locations in Danville.

The first performance will be Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Henson Park on East Main Street, where musicians Brett Higgins and Donnie Bowling will take the stage. Higgins has performed around the Danville area for a long time and is a favorite of many, including Director of the Danville Arts Commission Mimi Becker.

“We know Brett and really like him a lot; he is extremely versatile,” Becker said when speaking on why the commission chose him to open the series.

Higgins will be joined by music artist Donnie Bowling, who will undoubtedly add to Higgins’ energetic and up tempo beat box genre of music.

Becker said they wanted to start the music series to bring music to less popular and underserved places in the county. The outdoor locations are not generally thought of as music venues, and some are outside the City of Danville.

Despite these smaller locations, each spot can comfortably accommodate 100-200 people, and the commission hopes to see big crowds at each event.

Becker spoke on how crucial community support is for the future of this event.

“If we had 50 people at each concert we would be thrilled; however, the more people that come will help us expand funding and reach other places next year,” Becker said.

The planning and preparation that has gone into making this event has been a long road for the commission. Booking artists, raising money, and finding venues began in early fall.

Due to the early preparation of the commission, they are now putting the final touches on the event. Each performance will fall on either a Tuesday or Thursday.

Becker said the commission intentionally planned this to avoid scheduling conflicts, and so they could get the artists they desired.

No two acts will be the same throughout the series, as each artist or band offers a variety of different music styles and tastes. While Higgins and Bowling offer a more upbeat genre, other performances will include 60’s pop, smooth jazz, Irish showtunes, and other music varieties.

Although there will be no food trucks, the commission will provide hot dogs at each event, besides at Hogsett, and encourage families to bring their own picnic.

“The goal of this isn’t to get people to spend money, but instead to come out as a family and enjoy music on a perfect summer night,” Becker said.

She continued, “The primary focus was to do activities in the community, to do outreach, and support music, musicians, and all artists, and help them be recognized.”

Becker and the Danville Arts Commission have worked extremely hard on this event and are excited to bring it to the people. The members of the commission hope this event will bring lots of joy and entertainment.

Lineup of performers:

Thursday, June 16

Brett Higgins and Donnie Bowling

Henson Park, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Tuesday, June 28

Mike Archer

Airport in Junction City, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Thursday, July 7

Michael Hughes Band

Michael T. Smith Park, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Thursday, July 21

Uplift Irish Troupe, with special guests in partnership with West T. Hill Community Theatre

Downtown Perryville, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Thursday, August 11

Marcus Wilkerson

Hogsett School Lawn, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Follow Arts Commission on Facebook and danvillearts.org for weather plan updates. Grilled hotdogs will be available at all June and July events.