Summer Nights concert series opens in Dayton

Gospel, country, blues and rock musicians will take the stage in July when Nokian Tyres sponsors the second season of Summer Nights concerts in Rhea County.

Summer Nights offers free concerts each Friday night this month on the Rhea County courthouse lawn, said Scopes Festival Chairman Tom Davis. Sponsor Nokian Tyres is a tire manufacturer currently hiring workers to staff its first North American tire factory in Dayton, Tennessee.

Nokian Tyres will host a booth at the concert series, where the company will give away merchandise and answer questions

If you go

› What: Nokian Tyres Summer Nights Concert Series

› Where: Rhea County courthouse lawn, 1475 Market St., Dayton, Tennessee

› When: 6 p.m. Fridays in July, except 5:30 p.m. on July 19

› Admission: Free

› For more information:

www.scopesfestival.com

from prospective employees and others interested in the company.

“We’re excited to spend time with community members each Friday night this July,” said Nokian Tyres Marketing Communications Manager Wes Boling. “We’re proud to serve as the title sponsor of Nokian Tyres Summer Nights, and we look forward to deepening our involvement in this great community.”

Gospel night, which kicks off the series on July 5, will feature Alabaster Voices, a family ministry from Georgia. They will open for Heart Friends, a duo from Cookeville, Tennessee.

Sons of Blake, a revival of the group Dylan Blake from the Sequatchie Valley, will bring its mix of classic rock, blues and outlaw country to the stage July 12.

Rhea County’s own Lon Eldridge with his band, The 9th Street Stompers, will present a salute to early 20th-century blues, ragtime and swing on July 19. This show will begin at 5:30 p.m. as the opening for the 31st annual Scopes Festival.

Rhea Springs Revival closes out the series on July 26. RSR, a Rhea County favorite, according to Davis, mixes ’70s and ’80s country and Southern rock with some original numbers. Opening that night will be Georgette Boozer and Earnie Robinson.

Concertgoers should bring folding chairs or blankets for seating, although some bench seats are available.

Concerts will begin at 6 p.m., except on July 19. For more information: www. scopesfestival.com.