Live music will once again be the centrepiece of the Cranbrook summer in the downtown core.
Summer Sounds, the weekly concert series produced by the Fisher Peak Performing Artists Society, is returning this weekend, Saturday, July 17, to Rotary Park, and will feature every Saturday right through to August 28, and followed by FFPAS’s Peak Music Festival weekend, September 10 and 11.
Over the years, Summer Sounds drew hundreds of people to Rotary Park to see and hear the best local music the region has to offer. The community concert series is free to the public thanks to a generous contribution from the Regional District of East Kootenay through the Columbia Basin Trust Community Initiatives Program and sponsorship by local businesses, organizations and individuals.
The regular Summer Sounds was cancelled last year due to the pandemic. FPPAS did hold “Maskerade in Moir” in Moir Park, a pandemic-adapted version of PeakFest over all four Saturdays in September, 2020.
“Rotary Park is the natural and historic home for Summer Sounds,” said Barry Coulter, member of the FPPAS board of directors. “We know things are returning to normal when live music returns to downtown Cranbrook.”
He added that it had been a long tumultuous process for the Society, getting ready for Summer Sounds. The evolving nature of the restrictions due to the pandemic made for a lot of planning uncertainty.
“One thing was sure, though. Everybody couldn’t wait for live music to return to our local stages, and musicians couldn’t wait to get performing live again.”
The first Summer Sounds of the year will feature The Confluentials, a Cranbrook folk rock duo, who will take the stage in Rotary Park at 6 p.m. Headliners Baker Street Blues, a dynamic electric Blues band from Nelson, go on at 7:30.
The Confluentials will kick off Summer Sounds 2021, Saturday, July 17, at 6 pm in Rotary Park in Cranbrook
The confirmed schedule of performers will be available on the FPPAS Facebook page and website soon. Check out www.fisherpeakperformingartists.com . Volunteers are encouraged to sign up at https://www.fisherpeakperformingartists.com/volunteer
Although the Province of B.C. has eased many COVID-19 restrictions, organizers urge respect for spacing and comfort levels, that includes masking by choice, by attendees.
Everyone is welcome to come to these outdoor, family friendly events, but please consider leaving your pets at home. Craft beer by Fisher Peak Brewing Company and food will be available to quench your cravings. Attendees should bring their own chairs or blankets and be respectful of one another’s space and comfort level as we return to social environments on the winning side of the pandemic. Do a personal health check https://bc.thrive.health/covid19/en before you attend. Please stay home if you have been around someone who has recently tested positive for any communicable disease, or if you have a fever, headache, or have cold or flu-like symptoms. People who have not been vaccinated for Covid 19 or have not received their second shot are encouraged to wear a mask or to stay home to protect themselves and others.
Free masks, hand sanitizer, and information on where to obtain a Covid 19 vaccination in Cranbrook will be available at the FPPAS information booth at Rotary Park.
The public is reminded of the City of Cranbrook Clean Air bylaw #3940 which prohibits the smoking of tobacco or cannabis products in outdoor public spaces such as Rotary Park.
