Elmira’s historic bandshell in Gore Park is in need of some work to spruce it up – just ask Woolwich Coun. Allan Poffenroth, who’s angling for funding – but Sunday evenings this summer all eyes will be on the musicians performing there rather than the state of the structure.
Beginning July 3, the summer showcase concert series returns for a second year, offering
bluegrass, gospel and country acts for a 10-week stint.
With overwhelming support last year – some 200 to 500 people attended each week – organizer Lynn Russwurm had no problem filling the schedule for 2011.
“We’ve got four of the top bluegrass bands in Ontario coming out,” he said. “With our record last year, it wasn’t hard to get them to come.”
The series opens with Canadian country veteran Jimmy Phair July 3, closing Labour Day weekend with Rhyme ‘n’ Reason, multiple winners at the 2010 Canadian Bluegrass Awards.
In between will be a host of performers picked by Russwurm, many of whom he knows personally.
“It’s a great lineup. I got the ones I wanted for this year.”
The July 10 concert will feature some history to go along with the bandshell’s heritage, marking Russwurm’s 60th anniversary in the music business.
It was in 1951 that he walked into Kitchener radio station CKCR and asked for an audition.
That led to a Saturday afternoon show with fellow musician Stan Taylor. Since that time, the Floradale resident, now 80, has immersed himself in the music industry, from bass player to songwriter, from record producer to collector and preservationist.
Today he’s working on a new album, a collection of 20 of his songs. He’s written many over the years, and seen them recorded by a variety of artists, but these will be some little gems that haven’t seen much daylight.
“They’re things that lay up in the drawer for a while,” he laughed.
For the concert series, many of the songs that will be heard in the park will have a familiar ring to them. Often drawing an older crowd, the concerts ideally provide the kind of music they can sing along with, or at least clap and tap their toes in time with, Russwurm said.
The goal for each of the concerts this summer is to get people out to enjoy live shows, music at its most infectious.
The showcase series runs Sunday evenings, 7-9 p.m., in Gore Park.
