Weekly live music returns to Centennial Park this Friday as the RE/MAX 100 Parks Alive Summer Music Series kicks off for the fourth year in a row.
Every Friday from July 4 to Aug. 22, a new musical act will be coming to perform live in the park from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. each evening, completely free of charge. Coordinator Dave Mingo, a realtor with RE/MAX 100, said his office is looking forward to bringing back this annual event for the community.
"It's free, we're going to have food trucks down there and we're going to have some sponsors down there as well. Come on down, bring your lawn chair, bring an umbrella if it's going to be too sunny or too wet," Mingo said. "It's a free family event, so we ask for respect for others. Enjoy the good food, enjoy the good music and hopefully enjoy the good weather."
As in previous years, Mingo said RE/MAX 100 teamed up with Rob Fry of CaribooRadio.com to help run the event. In addition to managing sound, Fry was the band organizer who put together the musical lineup of nine different bands. Fry noted he's been working on the lineup since last year.
"What I've noticed now is it's not as difficult to get bands interested because they all know it's a decent gig for them. They might have a gig in Williams Lake and one in Quesnel, so we try to catch them," Fry said. "There is Music in the Park in Williams Lake on Thursday nights, so sometimes we might get a band that's coming from there."
While Fry does look for out-of-town talent, he also does his best to recruit local bands and musicians where he can. This year, he has prepared a nice mix of local and travelling bands who play a wide range of music.
Opening this Friday is the Cat Murphy Band, a folk-rock group based out of Vancouver. Keeping with the rock theme, Quesnel's Kordaroy Band is bringing their classic rock sound back to 100 Mile House on July 11.
The headliner of this season will be the Rock or Bust AC/DC tribute band, which is coming to 100 Mile House on July 18. Fry said he anticipates that being the busiest night of the season, noting there's a lot of older folks around the area who are AC/DC fans.
"This year, the big one is the AC/DC tribute, Rock or Bust, so I'm looking forward to that," Fry said. "It's going to be loud, so bring your earplugs. I'm going to have earplugs at the booth. It might be a little much for some, but you can't turn down AC/DC."
Slowing down the tempo a little, the next week, will be the 108 Mile Ranch's Even Keel Band. Fry said this local band specializes in mixed gospel music and sing-along style music and will be taking to the stage on July 25.
Moving into August the series gets underway with a double feature on Aug. 1 featuring the musical stylings of the Cariboo Jazz Kats and the Country Bumpkins, who will both be doing an hour long set each. Following them on Aug. 8 is the Rockabilly band the Chevys from Prince George, a newcomer to Parks Alive.
Finishing off the month will be the Cariboo Bob Band's country rock on Aug. 15, followed by the indie and classic rock Broken Hill band on Aug. 22.
Much like Fry, Mingo said he's really looking forward to the Rock or Bust AC/DC tribute band, noting he thinks it will be the star of the series. He's also happy to see the return of bands like the Cat Murphy Band and the Cariboo Bob Band.
"It did take a lot of sponsorship this year to get this going and I appreciate how hard these businesses get hit on a daily basis to sponsor stuff, so kudos to those businesses who step up every year," Fry said. "It takes the whole community to make this happen."
Mingo said that, barring any unforeseen mechanical issues, he plans to be running the District of 100 Mile House's golf cart shuttle in his role as councillor. He'll be picking up those with reduced or low mobility first from the Centennial Park parking lot and then, if that fills up, the Parkside Art Gallery parking lot.
When asked why RE/MAX 100 organizes the event each year, Mingo said it is a way for them to give back to the community.
"It's to create a vibrant community that people are happy to be in," Mingo said.
