After steady rain the past two weeks, Columbus’ Sounds of Summer is back on track, with one adjustment in the performance schedule, according to Columbus Main Street Director Barbara Bigelow.
As planned, Deacon Jones and the Late Night will take the stage from 7-9 p.m. at the Columbus Riverwalk Thursday. Style will play at the Riverwalk on July 13, and following two postponements, Swing Shift will finally perform at the same location July 20. All concerts are free to attend.
“We do watch the weather very closely when we have an event and know there is inclement weather,” Bigelow said. “We try to make the best call possible for the public.”
Bigelow, who schedules the bands, said Main Street Columbus partners and the Columbus-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce partner to put on the summer concert series.
“We kind of split the duties, and we’ve been doing this for 10 years,” Bigelow said. “Of course, we always try to have local bands, and we’ve added a couple new bands this year that we didn’t have in the past.”
According to Bigelow, outdoor venues can be tricky with weather, and she said Columbus has been lucky it has not received much rain around concert times the past few years.
Even if it’s not raining when the event is set to begin, Bigelow said rain hours prior can still be cause to postpone.
“The Riverwalk is an outside grassy area, and there’s a lot of dirt there,” Bigelow said. “When there is rain prior to the event, the area gets saturated with water. This is a family friendly event. Kids love to run around and play, and it’s just not safe. Vendors have a hard time getting set up, and it can be unsafe for bands to set up.”
Even though this year has been different, Sounds of Summer organizers seem to be making the best of the situation.
“We’re hoping for great weather the next three scheduled dates,” Bigelow said. “Fortunately, all of our vendors and all of our bands have been wonderful to work with. They’ve been very cooperative and understanding.”
—
Revised Sounds of Summer Schedule
· June 29: Deacon Jones and the Late Night
· July 13: Style
· July 20: Swing Shift
All concerts begin at 7 p.m. at the Riverwalk. Admission is free.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.