As summer comes back to Nakusp, so does Music in the Park, a weekly event happening through July and August.
The first event took place 19 years ago, through mayor Karen Hamling, who was then a councilor with the village.
“It was bothering me that we had this beautiful gazebo, and no one was using it,” she said. “It was kind of a dream of mine to get performances there.”
The first two summers, there was periodic entertainment and volunteers, but that didn’t work out very well. Hamling got in contact with the people who run a similar event in Revelstoke, who gave her the names of bands she could afford to bring to the village.
A variety of music is played at the shows. Local group 23 North will be kicking off this year’s series, and the bluegrass/roots band Mountain Station will be playing as well. Some nights will even feature karaoke.
“The last couple of years I’ve had Shirley’s karaoke, and that was a huge hit,” said Hamling. “You wouldn’t believe the people that come out for that.”
The concerts will take place every Wednesday, rain or shine. Hamling recalls how one of the shows at the start of the season was rained out. Instead of cancelling, everyone just moved into the gazebo. The singing continued, and everyone had a great time.
Along with the concerts, there is something new this season: A night market. The idea for a market at the concert came about after members of the Nakusp Farmer’s Market Association (NFMA) saw a post in the Nakusp Communicator facebook page, suggesting it would be a fun idea.
“What we’re hoping is that it will be kind of like a festival feel, with music and hopefully food vendors,” said Crystal Larder, a member of the NFMA. “People who can’t make the weekend markets because they do other things could still enjoy access to fresh food and vegetables during the work week while they’re taking in the music.”
The market will run from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. behind the gazebo near the skate park. This was done so not to take away from the music.
“We really want the music to be the focus, we’re just a nice little addition on the side,” said Larder.
Music in the Park takes place every Wednesday in July and August, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.