The summer music continues to flow Friday nights outside the Downtown Chatham Centre (DCC).
The weekly Concert in the Commons event is in its third year, and Jaclyn Gillier, marketing director for the DCC, said the shows are well attended.
The shows begin at 7 p.m. where the ice rink is located in the winter near the northwest corner of the mall and run until about 9 p.m., Gillier said. The crowd ebbs and flows through that time period.
“What’s really nice is there are people coming out after dinner or are doing their evening walks. People will come and enjoy a few songs and move on,” she said. “You can hear the music from quite a distance. It’s a pied piper kind of thing.”
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Gillier said people of all ages come to listen, but the majority of those who stop by are between 40 and 65. And some bring their children.
“I’ve noticed parents will bring their kids. They’ll do cartwheels and can get some beans out before bedtime,” she said.
As for the folks who don’t have kids, the 9 p.m. shutdown just allows them to move off to the next event for the evening, Gillier said.
Gillier said the main reason for the concerts is in reaction to comments from the public.
“People were saying there is nothing to do. But there is tons of stuff to do,” she said. “We just need to support our local artists.”
And that is who the DCC showcases – local talent.
“We always have Chatham-Kent musicians, or people who have some connection to Chatham-Kent,” she said. “This year, we have a lot of new bands who didn’t play our concerts before.”
Since these are outdoor concerts, the weather plays a major role. If it’s raining or there’s a forecast for rain that night, chances are that night’s show has been cancelled. Gillier said to check on social media to see if the event is cancelled. Check on Twitter at @DCC_Chatham Mall or Facebook at facebook.com/DowntownChathamCentre
The summer series began during the Retrofest weekend in May and continues through the summer.
