College to host August lawn concerts

The common at Springfield Technical Community College will be the site of free "Concerts Under the Stars" every Wednesday in August from 7 to 9 p.m.

Pop, rock, jazz, and salsa will each be featured in turn as the month unfolds, according to Christopher J. Zarlengo of the STCU Credit Union, which is organizing the first-time summer series.

"What we've tried to do is have a really diverse selection," he said this week.

Each concert is sponsored by a radio station that specializes in a particular genre of music.

On Aug. 6, Dan Kane and Friends will perform popular songs. The ensemble is an offshoot of the well-known large-scale chorus, the Dan Kane Singers.

The evening will be sponsored by WMAS-FM, 94.7.

The following week, rock lovers can groove to the music of Noledge, one of the area's most popular bands. The sponsor of the Aug. 13 event is WLZX-FM 99.3, whose disc jockey, Haze, will serve as master of ceremonies.

Aug. 20 will bring "All That Jazz," sponsored by the smooth-jazz station, WEIB-FM 106.3.

Salsa will reign on Aug. 27, when La Perfecta Salsa Band plays. The sponsor will be WSPR 1270 and WACM 1490.

The musicians will play each week from the stage of Peter Pan's Futurliner, an unusual General Motors-built bus whose clamshell sides open to create a display and performance space.

The Futurliner, which was featured in the New York World's Fair of 1964, has been getting a lot of attention from antiques collectors recently. One such bus sold for $4.3 million a couple of years ago in Arizona, according to Paul Lemieux of Peter Pan Bus Lines.

Peter Pan's Futurliner gets used about a dozen times a year, always in the summer, usually locally but as far away as Stratton, Vt., according to Lemieux.

Secure free parking will be available on the campus for the concerts. The public is invited to bring blankets, lawn chairs and coolers.

"We anticipate a good turnout," said Zarlengo.

Peter Pan Bus Lines, the Springfield Armory National Historic Site, and STCC are partnering with the STCU Credit Union (formerly the Springfield Teachers Credit Union) to present the events.

Source: http://www.masslive.com