Volunteers help drive Riverbend Concert Series at Sliter Park

As the Riverbend Concert Series gears up for its 32nd season, the volunteer team seeks new members.

Elna Darrow started the concert series in 1982. After she passed away in 2009 the series has been kept alive by a team of volunteers.

Charlotte French has been working on that team since, honoring Darrow by making sure every summer, on Sundays, there is music in Sliter Park.

“I really, really have a devotion to keeping the concert going for Elna,” she said. “It’s a labor of love.”

But as the volunteers age and tire of public service, French hopes some new volunteers will step forward.

French is dedicated to the event, and feels concert series is very important to the community. The community support keeps musicians returning. This summer’s lineup includes John Floridis, the Bad Larrys, Cocinando, Leftover Biscuits, Willson and McKee, and Jae Hatt — all of whom have played the series in years past.

Floridis isn’t quite sure how many times he’s performed in the Riverbend series, but guessed he’s been coming back for about 15 years. It’s an event he prioritizes fitting into his summer schedule.

He enjoys the intimate feel of the event. The audience is there to listen to music and that, he said, enables him to engage in a completely different way.

“I so crave those experiences where you get to put on a concert,” he said. “It’s incredibly gratifying.”

And while he jokes about the mosquitoes, he loves the stage at Sliter Park, “It feels like a great big outdoor living room,” he said.

He enjoys that it’s a kind of do it yourself show, where he sets up his own sound. And he likes how it is a community operation, from the organizers to the sponsors. The connections he’s made with volunteers like Charlotte French is part of the appeal.

When you make a connection, he said, you’re more inclined to respond to an event invitation.

All of these things, Floridis thinks, make him perform at a higher level.

“I’ve been very fortunate to keep coming back,” he said.

French said there are currently six people working on the Riverbend Concert series, and she hopes at least two or three more could get involved.

The team divides up the tasks to run the series and meets periodically. Volunteer hosts are needed as well as someone to seek out sponsors.

This year’s series is June 29- Aug. 31. Ticket prices have remained low for the concerts. One show costs $3 for adults and $1 for kids.

“It’s just one of the lovely things about Bigfork,” French said.

For information on the Riverbend Concert series contact Charlotte French at 837-2036.

2014 Riverbend Concert Series

June 29     Andre Floyd

July 6     Bad Larrys

July 13     John Floridis

July 20     Jae Hatt

July 27     Cocinando

Aug. 3     Leftover Biscuits

Aug. 10     Fetveit Brothers

Aug. 17     Wilson & McKee

Aug. 24     Sax-o-phuns

Aug. 31     Blue Smoke