The Jacksonville Downtown Concert Series kicks off summer this Friday.
Jacksonville Main Street Executive Director Judy Tighe says the series opens with returning favorite CJ Ryder & the Pastmasters: “We have had them come before. It’s been a couple of years. They play all the pop songs you remember from years past. They actually cover several decades of music. You’ll get to hear a lot of your favorites. We’re really excited to kick off the series.”
Refreshments go on sale at 6PM, with music starting at 7. Tighe says that the weather forecast is in good standing heading into Friday.
The concert will also host the Jacksonville School District 117 Early Years Program handing out books to children, and the grand prize Believe in Education drawing for $10,000 from the Jacksonville Public Schools Foundation will happen between the music.
Tighe says she’s amazed by Main Street’s Melissa Hebron’s ability to get acts calling her a “miracle worker” with her numerous contacts to booking agencies and scheduling wizardry. Tighe says that Hebron was able to get Blues-Rock act Champ Jaxon on the schedule for June 24th after she passed along a YouTube video that she happened upon: “I happened to share [the video] with Melissa and said half joking ‘We ought to get this guy.’ She called me back about a week and a half later and said, ‘Got him.’ She’s just amazing. She’s been able to get some really unique acts that you just don’t see every weekend around Jacksonville.”
Tighe says that the concert series has really taken on a community-wide celebration through local support and sponsors. Tighe says that the series has received over 60 sponsors this year to keep the series at full strength.