Final Fridays of June, July & August from 6 PM – 10PM at the Gazebo in Kerr Park
The Summer Jam Series is back! Last year the music festival brought hundreds of families, friends and neighbors to the heart of Downingtown on the final Friday during the summer months. This year we’ll still feature a unique selection of local musicians, food and crafts along with the addition of a beer garden all in a new location in the lush greens of Kerr Park food. Presented by the Downingtown Main Street Association and Kimberton Whole Foods, this community event is the perfect start to a summer weekend. Visit us at Kerr Park, in the lawns by the Gazebo and check out unique craft vendors, as well as a variety of tasty options including The Happy Pita, Mompops Artisan Popsicles, St. Anthony’s Restaurant and a beer garden hosted by Station Taproom with mixed drinks served by Manatawny Still Works!
6:00 Kenny Lawson
Kenny Lason is a local musician whose rich vocals and acoustic stylings bring new depth to roots rock and folk tunes. He is the lead guitarist for the Billy Penn Band who have played locally and opened for numerous big name acts.
6:30 Robb Balchunas
We welcome singer, songwriter and guitarist Robb Balchunas, player of rock and country since 2004. With countless gigs in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Florida, California, Maryland and Delaware, he is also the owner of Pryme Tyme Entertainment since 2001. We look forward to hearing his music with influences from Jason Mraz, John Mayor, Green Day, CCR, John Melloncamp and Luke Bryan.
7:00 Sam Schmidthuber
A gifted singer and performer at 14, Sam has been performing locally at different venues since the age of 9. He recently auditioned for America’s Got Talent on a pass from a show producer, and won the 2016 PA Farm Show Has Talent Contest. When not performing his own shows, he is frequently a guest singer for local bands.
8:00 Free Range
We welcome back Free Range, a local Americana, classic rock, blues and folk fusion band. Check out some live recordings, here!
8:45 Billy Penn Band
The Billy Penn Band brings its roots rock jam to Downingtown Mainstreet Associations Summer Jam Series on July 29th. Formed in the mid 80s, the Billy Penn Band started as an acoustic duo and evolved into one of the premier early jam band acts in the Philadelphia area, also playing extensively at Penn State. After establishing themselves as innovators of “unplugged” acoustic interpretation of rock music, they switched to an all out electric assault. In this phase, the band helped carve out a place in the Philly music scene for the jam acts that followed, becoming a headline act celebrating the emergence of a powerful new genre of music. While covering many songs of the Grateful Dead, Neil Young and Bob Dylan, the band did so at a high energy level that did not simply imitate the original artists, including a legendary rap version of Dylan’s Tangled Up in Blue. This interpretive read on jam band music led to a unique sound and style for Billy Penn Band’s original songs they showcased while sharing stages with Phish, Max Creek, Albert Collins, Toots and the Maytals, and Ginger Baker of Cream. Original members Ken Lawson (guitar) and Jerry Marks (bass) are joined by Dave Halivand (drums) and Ed Artz (keyboards). Note: Ken and Ed also appear in the recently released and critically acclaimed Kenn Kweder documentary “Adventures of a Secret Kid, the Mass Hallucinations of Ken Kweder.”
Thank you to our generous community sponsors!