Essex expands free outdoor music series
Harrow and McGregor will now also play host to events featuring local musicians
A new name and an expanded schedule are expected to give more aspiring local artists a chance to showcase their talents at this year’s Essex outdoor music series.
Cynthia Cakebread, the town’s manager of recreation and culture, said the Turn Up the Parks series will expand into Harrow and McGregor this year with concerts in the parkettes next to the post office in those communities.
“We did want to touch into each of our four unique communities,” Cakebread said of the summerlong celebration of music.
“We’ve been so successful in our Colchester location and our Essex location.”
Weeknight performances have been held the last two years at Colchester Harbour Park and Heritage Gardens Park. They have attracted a growing audience — from just a handful of visitors at the beginning to “40 and 50 (people) at some of the events and every year it’s gotten bigger,” Cakebread said.
The series has also proven popular with local artists, especially amateur musicians.
“The strategy really for us is the opportunity, or to provide the opportunity, for musicians to get a chance to play,” she said. “This year we’ve had such a good response in the number of artists that want that opportunity, that we thought it’s easy for us to expand a little bit for them.”
The town’s arts, culture and tourism committee is responsible for organizing the series, which supports town council’s strategic objective of promoting healthy and active living through recreational and cultural opportunities.
“The idea that there’s something going on brings people to the parks in the first place,” Cakebread said.
“It benefits the community but we would certainly love to have people come from outside our community.”
The town provides the venue, setup and marketing support for the artists.
This year’s series includes 27 performances by more than 15 musicians or musical groups.
Tune Up the Parks kicks off June 12 with Jesse Sharron performing at the Colchester Harbour Park.
Sharron, a 30-year-old tenor from Cottam who started singing at the age of four, performs opera and pop music in English, Latin and Italian.
The free concerts are held Monday, Wednesday and Fridays at 7 p.m. and are subject to change or cancellation without notice. Bring a chair or a blanket to sit on.
The full season schedule can be found on the Town of Essex’s online events calendar.