GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Live music is back at Blandford Nature Center. Music-lovers of all ages are encouraged to come and enjoy a night of live music in nature with their loved ones. This year’s Bands at Blandford Outdoor Concert Series will be expanding to six Saturdays throughout the summer with shows from 7-9 pm at Blandford Nature Center located at 1715 Hillburn Ave NW. Grand Rapids, MI 49504.
This series will highlight several musical genres by local bands in the Grand Rapids area each night. The lineup for this year’s series is as follows: The Bootstrap Boys on June 12th, Patty PerShayla & The Mayhaps on June 26th, Cabildo on July 10th, Last Gasp Collective on July 24th, Peace to Mateo on September 11th, and MOLLY on September 25th.
The Diatribe will also be providing live poetry at the second show in July as well as both shows in September. The Diatribe uses performing arts to empower young people to share their stories, raise awareness of social issues, and create change within their communities.
“Bands at Blandford connects people with both music and nature, and this year we are excited to be adding poetry to several of the shows by partnering with The Diatribe,” said Volunteer Manager, Katie Clouse. “Our intent is to provide a safe and beautiful space to engage our community during these difficult and uncertain times. It’s so important to continue this series and support these local musicians who have been greatly affected by the pandemic this past year. We’re glad we can safely provide a stage to amplify these voices within our community.”
Guests can bring blankets and chairs to unwind with an adult-beverage on these warm summer nights. Concessions will be available for purchase from local businesses such as Brewery Vivant, Sacred Springs Kombucha, and more. Guests are welcome to bring their own food to this event, but no outside alcoholic beverages are permitted.
This year’s concerts were planned with the safety of the community in mind. A few of the precautions include limited capacity pre-sale ticketing and socially distanced circles throughout the event space for guests to safely spread out and enjoy the show. Guests will be required to wear a mask when outside of their circle, while purchasing drinks, or checking in.
Tickets are $20 per member and $25 per non-member. Tickets go on sale for June shows on May 3rd, for July shows on June 3rd, and for September shows on August 3rd. This event is open to the public and available for all ages. All tickets must be purchased prior to the show, no additional tickets will be available at the door. To learn more about the bands or purchase tickets, attendees can visit: blandfordnaturecenter.org/experiences/community-calendar/
About Blandford Nature Center: Blandford Nature Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose job and passion is to invite our community to enjoy, explore, and learn in nature. We make this happen by allowing our visitors to get their hands dirty—whether that be standing knee-high in water to learn about stream ecology or planting squash seeds to start a garden. This is accomplished through an active outdoor environmental lab, a team of passionate, knowledgeable people, and a strong link from past to future promoting sustainability. Blandford offers a wide variety of experiences to support our mission and vision through dynamic partnerships and innovative programming for all ages. For more information, visit www.blandfordnaturecenter.org.