The Auburn Community Concert Band’s annual summer concert series will kick off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 6, at Festival Plaza in Auburn. SYSTEM

The Auburn Community Concert Band’s annual summer concert series will kick off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 6, at Festival Plaza in Auburn.

The performance is the first of 8 free of weekly outdoor evening concerts scheduled, weather permitting. There will be no rain location this summer due to COVID-19 concerns. In the case of inclement weather, that evening’s concert will be cancelled, and an announcement will be posted on the band’s website at auburncommunityband.com.

Each Wednesday evening through Aug. 24, the band will present a 75-minute program featuring popular hit songs from the 60’s through the present. Simon predicts that the group’s repertoire of songs will appeal to audiences of all ages. “If you have a favorite song that’s been heard on the radio or in the movies, chances are good that our band will perform it sometime during the upcoming 8-week concert series,” director Milt Simon said.

Founded by Simon in 1981, this year marks the organization’s 41st anniversary. The group has varied in size from 24 to over 50 members and this season’s 31 volunteer musicians range in age from late teens to early 80’s, and collectively represent a total of 12 Maine communities. Simon says that the organization “gives many individuals a chance to utilize musical talents neglected since their high school or college days, and the entire community benefits.” He added that the Auburn group “is one of the larger community bands in the state of Maine, and often attracts over 300 people to its weekly concerts.”

The members of this summer’s concert band are: FLUTE: Hannah Abbott, Sharon Blodgett, Barbara Jabaut, Julie Mann, River Stickney; CLARINET: Denise Leavitt, Patti Pelletier, Rick Rau, Louise Theberge; BASSOON: Hayden Pelletier; ALTO SAXOPHONES: Steve Allman, David Griswold; TENOR SAXOPHONE: Angela Greenwald; BARITONE SAX: Jason Toussaint; TRUMPETS: Alisson Morin, Maurice Morin, Nancy Morris; FRENCH HORNS: Stephanie Burke, Paul Mann, Denise Tabet; TROMBONES: Sonny Begin, Mark Jacobs, Chip Morrison, Allison Neal, Tom Nelson; BARITONES: Hadley Blodgett; TUBAS: Gabrielle Cyr, Duncan Webster; and PERCUSSION: Shelley Rau, Laurie Swart, Mitch Thomas.

People planning to attend any of the Wednesday evening performances at Festival Plaza should bring their own chair on which to sit, and are advised to arrive well before the 7 p.m. concert start time, as large audiences are again expected this summer. Ample free parking is available in the parking garage located across the street from the Plaza. The City has placed porta-potties alongside the garage for use during the concert season.

For more information, visit the band’s web site at auburncommunityband.com.