Summer Concert Series Begins Today at Rye Town Park

They began with a handful of people like Chet Williams and Dan Buckley meeting in a several Rye basements more than 20 years ago to discuss ways to keep Rye Town Park evergreen and beautiful.

They have since grown to more than 600 members who have become known as the Friends of Rye Town Park.

And over the years since they started the non-profit "Friends" organization in 1990, they have contributed millions of dollars to the park in a variety of ways, from restoration of the duck pond to electrifying the lamp posts along the boardwalk to planting a veritable botanical garden of trees and flowers and looking after them year round.

And then there is the organization's musical rite of summer in Rye that has evolved into a series of free Tuesday night concerts in the park, with the series of six free concerts –the largest number ever staged –beginning tonight (June 29) from 7:30 to 9 p.m. and running on consecutive Tuesday nights thereafter at the south pavilion of Rye Town Park, facing Oakland Beach.

The concerts are part of the many celebrations taking place this year in honor of Rye's 350th Anniversary. The concerts feature bands from Rye and beyond, including the Dragon Coasters, the Derivatives and the Arcade Trio, led by Patrick Corcoran, owner of the Arcade Bookstore, who will all play a range of popular music.

There will be limited seating, so attendees are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs. No rain dates will be scheduled and concertgoers are welcomed to picnic at the park or dine at Seaside Johnnie's restaurant, where parking costs $2.

"The concerts really began in the Rye Town Park amphitheatre, but there is no protection from the elements there so they were moved to the pavilion site so the show could go on rain or shine," said lifetime Rye resident Vickie Farrington, a respected area realtor and one of the early members of the Friends of Rye Town Park.

Among the prime movers behind the concerts, according to Ms. Farrington, were musician and writer Donna Cribari, who joined with her sister, Camille Linen, to write the music and lyrics to the Rye Town historical musical "Flashback," and the late Susan Di Pace, who died tragically when she was hit by a car in the Lord & Taylor's parking lot in Scarsdale while on a Christmas shopping foray several years ago.

So there will be a lot of history and local color in the air along with the sound of music when the bands start playing. The various musicians dropped their rates to play for their friends and neighbors while performing for the non-profit. Rye Town Supervisor Joseph Carvin and the Rye Town Park Commisson helped the Friends underwrite the tab and co-sponsor the summer series.

Here's the lineup of bands that will be performing:

June 29 - The Angelo Rubino Band, a six-member Port Chester band  featuring vocalists Ann and Angie Rubino. They perform a wide range of musical styles from the 1940's to the 90's – everything from "In The Mood" to "I Will Survive."  Their selections include big band dance tunes, soft rock, Doo-wop, and Latin pop.  

July 6 -  The Dragon Coasters, a Rye-based band playing a musical mix of rock and R&B favorites spanning the decades from the 60's up through today's hits.  All eight musicians share in the vocals. 

July 13 – The Arcadia Jazz Trio, led by Rye Arcade Bookstore owner Patrick Corcoran. The AJT has been a fixture in the New York and Connecticut jazz scene for more than 10 years. Their music is a mix of popular American standards and jazz -- suitable for easy listening as well as dancing. 

July 20– Reunion, a ten-piece Westchester band, will perform R&B, rock, and disco from the 60's and 70's, along with all the great standards. Their strength is their driving horn section, solid rhythm section, along with two vocalists.

July 27– The Derivatives, a Rye-based six-member band that has been playing the Rye Town Park Concert series for many years and is well known locally for their danceable beat.

August 3– Tropical Beat Steel Drum Band is a New York City area band that performs Reggae, Soca, and Calypso songs combined with popular music re-arranged "Caribbean style." Led by John Hilton, they're seasoned entertainers, featuring two steel pans, percussionist and vocalist.

More information about the concerts can be found at www.ryetownpark.org.