Gazebo concert series continues the tradition with Shari Kane and Dave Steele

Last week's gazebo concert featured a variety of locally-oriented music from Brad Phillips and Jacob Warren.

Thursday nights are magical in Manchester this summer--and every summer!

And while the 63rd annual Manchester Chicken Broil is certainly the grand-daddy of all Thursday events each year, another long running tradition is now in its 28th year--the Manchester Gazebo Concert series in Wurster Park.

Last week's concert with Brad Phillips and Jacob Warren was pretty much as "all about local music" as it gets. Brad has long been involved with the Saline Fiddlers and more recently has been a side-man for a good many local and national artists. Last fall, he was invited to play at The Palace in Auburn Hills, accompanying Stevie Wonder. Some of his solo numbers on Thursday were by fellow Michigan artists Josh Davis (a former finalist on The Voice) and May Erlewine. In duo with Jacob, their instrumentals varied from plaintive waltzes to toe-tapping lively pieces, for a well-rounded musical evening.

The Cultural Arts Strings summer camp ensemble performed at the gazebo last week. Photo by Jamie Kendall.

Last Thursday's concert also featured members of Manchester's own Cultural Arts Strings (CAS), who performed as part of the culmination of their two-week string camp. Both Brad and Jacob, as part of Michigan's tightly-knit music community, served as instructors for the CAS camp this year. This really came full circle as Jacob was originally a student of Manchester resident Bob Rohwer, one of the founders of CAS.

This week, join us as we welcome the husband and wife duo of Shari Kane and Dave Steele, bringing their unique blend of "street swing and swamp blues" to the gazebo stage. These Ann Arbor-based artists have previously performed in Manchester at the gazebo and during the summer festival, but they have also performed nationwide, both together and individually, to rave reviews. The duo has two CDs to their credit, "Four Hand Blues" (2011) and "Feels Like Home" (2015).

The 2016 Gazebo Concert season is dedicated to the memory of William J. (Bill) Schwab (1934-2015), who enthusiastically guided the Gazebo Concert Committee from its very beginnings. His legacy lives on in these concerts!

Shari Kane and Dave Steele will bring the blues to the Gazebo Thursday night at 7:30.

The concert begins at 7:30 pm and will be held rain or shine. The rain location is at Emanuel United Church of Christ, just across the street from the gazebo. Concerts usually wrap up around 9 pm. Earlier in the day, starting at 3:30 pm, visit the Farmers Market in Chi-Bro Park on Ann Arbor Hill, and check out the Manchester Heritage Day at the Kingsley-Jenter House on the corner of M-52 and Main, plus the blacksmithing demonstration just a couple doors east at The Blacksmith Shop, 324 E. Main.

Bring the family, and "Make it Manchester" this Thursday, July 7!

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.