Music will blow through Alexandria streets again each Thursday evening as Concerts on the Courthouse Lawn begins another season on May 24.
It is the 10th season if you count its first, short stint at Fort Alexandria, or the ninth if you only count the courthouse, said Chuck Wencl, program director of the Red Willow Arts Coalition, which organizes the concerts.
"Our crowds have grown exponentially over the years," Wencl said. In its early years, they were happy to get 500 or 600 people, whereas that same number now is more indicative of poor weather, he said. "This year we are collecting door prizes to be awarded weekly at intermission throughout the season."
Bands come from around the region, including the Twin Cities and Fargo-Moorhead, and they had better be on their toes. If they don't mix in enough good old favorites, audience members have been known to pick up their lawn chairs and walk away, Wencl said.
"We tell our bands, 'If you have a couple originals you want to do, that's fine, but slip them in and then go back to the cover tunes,'" he said.
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Johnny Cash makes restless concert-goers sit down again. So does bluegrass. End-of-season surveys have uncovered the clear favorites: Bluegrass, country, oldies and old-time polkas, Wencl said.
Furthermore, any band selected for the concert series has to have one important quality: showmanship.
"It's important that they be entertainers," Wencl said. "They don't have to be the best musicians in the world, but if they can entertain a crowd, that's what we want."
Red Willow staggers the musicians so that no band plays two years in a row. If they're popular, they can come back in two years.
This year, returning favorites include The Whitesidewalls, Pure Country GOLD and Salty Dog. New bands include local group I Witness and Gun Shy out of Fargo. Wencl says Gun Shy's female drummer is "one of the best."
"We get a lot of recommendations," he said. "We go and hear every band."
In case of bad weather, Red Willow will send out cancellation notices around 2 p.m. the day of the concert. Concerts take place at 7 p.m. each Thursday. Four bands will play no matter the weather, shifting to the Alexandria Area High School Performing Arts Center. Those four bands are Pure Country GOLD, Holy Rocka Rollaz, Whitesidewalls and Diamondback.
Once again, their major sponsors are Anderson Funeral Home and Elden's Fresh Foods. Other businesses sponsor nightly concerts, and Red Willow has received funds from private citizens as well as grants from the Lakes Region Arts Council.
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Miltona Science Magnet School students will be back this year selling popcorn to raise funds for a musical playground. Last summer, they earned $2,500, Wencl said.
Here's the lineup for the 2018 season:
May 24 - Gun Shy: This Fargo-Moorhead area country band performs throughout the Midwest with strong vocals and amazing musicianship. Sponsor: Arabella Manor
May 31 - Doc's Dixieland: "Doc" Paul Engebretson has been bringing Big Band and Dixieland music to the lakes area and beyond since the 1960s. His band will perform traditional Dixie and Gospel favorites. Sponsor: Billmarks Insurance
June 7 - Blonde & Bohunk Band: A fixture on the area music scene, Sara Severson and Brian Chlian grew up near Alexandria and perform as an acoustic, harmonic duo. Music includes covers of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, Miranda Lambert and Florida Georgia Line, mixed with a few originals. Sponsor: Ameriprise Financial
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June 14 - Jazz Dot Combo: This St. Cloud-based jazz ensemble is made up of students from throughout central Minnesota in grades 7-12 (and sometimes younger) by invitation only. There are no formal auditions. The director and current members scout for musicians who are interested in jazz and invite them to a rehearsal. Longtime director John Herdan recently handed that position to his son David Herdan. Sponsor: Koegel Plumbing & Heating
June 21 - Holy Rocka Rollaz: Their first gig was a ministry concert to state prison. Since then, this Twin Cities band has played some of the largest fairs in the country with the sound and look of 1950s rockers including Elvis, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry and Johnny Cash. Sponsors: Dwain Schuette Insurance / Village Cooperative
June 28 - Pure Country GOLD: This Twin Cities band is a repeat performer at We Fest and veterans of the Minnesota State Fair, the Mall of America and major county fairs and festivals. Members have performed with superstars such as Tim McGraw, Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum. Pure Country Gold provides a range of country, country rock and dance music, mixing original material with well-known covers. Sponsor: Kyle's Barber Shop / Guitar Shoppe
July 5 - Jolly Huntsmen: Sporting traditional lederhosen and playing trumpets, clarinets, accordion and tuba, this Twin Cities band plays authentic music of Germany, Bavaria, Austria, Slovenia and Czechoslovakia. Sponsor: Jimmy Jenson Family
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July 12 - Front Fenders: The Fargo group delivers high-energy rock n' roll with classics from the 1950s through the 1980s, mixed with country favorites. Sponsor: Larson Insurance
July 19 - DiamondBack: Central Minnesota has been home to this band since 1998. It has opened up for Montgomery Gentry, Gloriana and Miranda Lambert and plays a mix from artists such as Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan, along with country classics and rock. Sponsor: Sugar Shack / West Central Sanitation
July 26 - Whitesidewalls: This band performs classic doo-wop, rock-a-billy and pounding rock 'n' roll. Based near the Twin Cities, The Whitesidewalls have shared the stage with a number of notable artists including The Drifters, Carl Perkins and Wolfman Jack. Sponsor: Glenwood State Bank / Martinson Insurance
August 2 - Broken Fiddle: This St. Cloud area band performs a unique blend of folk, Americana and traditional tunes. All four members are multi-instrumentalists and vocalists. Sponsor: Echo Press
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August 9 - Honky Tonk Stardust Cowboys: This Grant County group plays the country tunes of bygone days from artists such as Loretta Lynn, Rosanne Cash and Willie Nelson, as well as early rock 'n' roll songs. Sponsor: Alexandria Rotary Club
August 16 - Salty Dogs: These four local musicians have been playing together for more than four years on fiddle, accordion and guitar. They perform bluegrass, Cajun, country, blues and ballads. Sponsor: Bursch Travel
August 23 - Jazz Committee: Alexandrian Jack Anderson, a veteran of multiple Courthouse Lawn appearances with Jazz Dot Combo, is now a student at Concordia College. He'll be joined by musicians from Fargo-Moorhead collegiate music programs. Sponsor: Bell State Bank
August 30 - I Witness: This relatively new rock and classic rock cover band performs music from artists ranging from Led Zeppelin to Adele. Comprised of former members of several bands, and with both a female and male lead singer, they deliver a wide variety of musical styles. Sponsor: Integrity Title