We are all thirsty to get some normalcy back in our lives, and one of the ways to satisfy that thirst is through entertainment, concerts, sports, things we have sorely missed for over a year now. Well, there seems to be an exciting light at the end of the tunnel.

My friend, John Sinkevics, who has created the popular website Local Spins, where you can get "the word" on local, regional and statewide entertainers and entertainment, wrote about many who are diving back into summer outdoor concerts. I'm telling you, this is exciting.

John wrote that the recently announced free series include the much-anticipated return of the West Michigan Jazz Society’s Monday night “Jazz at Millenium Park Meadows,” will kick off with Mary Rademacher on June 7 and will continue through mid-August.

And Rockford’s crowd-pleasing United Bank Rogue River Blues Series aims to re-launch in Garden Park with James Reeser & The Backseat Drivers on June 15, followed by nine more Tuesday night shows. The series closes out with up-and-coming blues/pop guitarist and singer Jake Kershaw on Aug. 17.

“What happens at the state level will determine how we proceed. It depends on what protocol needs to be in place,” said Steve Jazwiec, longtime organizer of the Rockford series. “I have always felt better about August than June. I’m thinking worst-case scenario would be canceling some early shows, not the whole series.”

More than 30 West Michigan Communities will host summer concerts. Despite continued concerns about the COVID pandemic, but with 50 percent of the state’s population getting at least their first vaccine as of May 1, organizers say they’re confident they can safely resume performances outdoors where experts say gatherings are much less likely to pose problems.

 

 

 

CLICK HERE for John's partial list of community concerts, and the complete roster of West Michigan shows in Local Spins’ Free Outdoor Community Concerts 2021 guide.

 

KEEP READING: See states hit hardest by COVID-19’s impact on tourism

 

 

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