La Porte’s Arts in the Park offers connection through music and more
More tribute bands and a food drive are among the additions to Arts in the Park, which has taken place at Fox Memorial Park in La Porte since 2000.
The Thursday concert series from June 2 to Aug. 25 at Dennis F. Smith Amphitheater also includes art exhibits, KidsArt activities, poetry readings, concessions and food trucks.
“It’s one of the best deals in town. We are absolutely free to attend. There’s free parking. You are more than welcome to bring a picnic,” said Julia Kanestrom, executive director of Arts in the Park.
“Essentially you don’t have to spend a dime. Obviously, to help support Arts in the Park we would prefer you visit our concessions building. You can also look into our food trucks.
“Arts in the Park is a platform for people to come together and celebrate our community through music and the arts.”
The concerts begin on June 2 with British Invasion tribute band 45 RPM, which includes Bill Rumely of La Porte on lead vocals, guitar, harmonica and percussion.
“We have three tribute bands, which is a first for Arts in the Park. This is going to be special. We’re really looking forward to that,” said Kanestrom about acts, which also include Santana tribute Visions of Santana on June 23 and Eagles tribute Heartache Tonight on July 28.
Other concerts include The Rest (country) on June 9, Lauren Dukes Band (blues, soul, jazz, and rhythm and blues) on June 16, The Remedy (rock and country) on June 30 and Night of Worship with Liberty Bible Church from La Porte on July 7.
PT & the Cruisers (oldies rock and blues) on July 14, Aftermath (rock) on July 21, Cripple Creek (gospel, country, pop and oldies) on Aug. 4, For Pete’s Sake (Irish folk) on Aug. 11, Indika Reggae (reggae and dancing) on Aug. 18 and Whistle Pigs (classic rock, jazz and R&B) on Aug. 25 also are scheduled.
“We definitely try to stay eclectic both in terms of genres of music and the people who might be interested in listening to them,” said Kanestrom of La Porte.
“We’re hoping that we can encourage people to have a good time meeting new people, learning about different kinds of music and art, and just making it a fun experience for all ages and demographics.”
Arts in the Park features art exhibits on Thursdays and KidsArt activities every other Thursday beginning June 2.
“We really want to engage the youth in our community to do something creative and use their imagination,” Kanestrom said.
“We’ll also have an actual tent for Arts on the Park on-site for people to easily come and get to know us and about our upcoming events. If they’re interested in volunteering, that will be a great spot to put their name down.
“We’re also selling a whole new T-shirt design available to the public for $20.”
Arts in the Park accepts canned food and nonperishable items from 5:308:30 p.m. Thursdays to benefit organizations including Center Township Food Pantry, The Pax Center, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, St. Joe Catholic Church and Salvation Army.
“If people are interested in bringing a couple of nonperishable food items, we’ll have designated bins located throughout the park. We’ll collect the donations and take them to the designated organization for that date,” Kanestrom said.
Book signings, which started in 2021 at Arts in the Park, are back on July 28 and Aug. 4.
“It was a fun event. I think the local authors got a lot out of it along with our La Porte community. That’s why we would like to have book signings as an annual event,” Kanestrom said.
Dr. Scott Simerlein, La Porte County poet laureate, chairs poetry readings on Thursdays and also on Wednesdays when La Porte City Band, conducted by Charles Steck, performs 7 p.m. concerts from June 8 to Aug. 10 at Fox Memorial Park’s Dennis F. Smith Amphitheater.
“Our founders Bill and Kitty started Arts in the Park to create just one more La Porte City Band concert each summer,” said Kanestrom about the late Dr. William E. Wolf II and his wife, the late Armina “Kitty” Wolf.
“It has grown exponentially to the point where we have our own Thursday night series but we still partner with the La Porte City Band and we also run concessions as well on Wednesdays.”