Ottawa Music in the Park returns June 26 to Washington Square

Ottawa’s free concert series, Music in the Park, kicks off its 2021 season in late June with nine musical acts delivering a blend of retro rock, country and contemporary that’ll provide audiences with a musical experience from the 1950s to the present.

Concerts run from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturdays in downtown’s historic Washington Square. Admission is free. There’s plenty of room for social distancing. All schedules are subject to change for health and safety reasons.

At this time, no indoor venue is available, so if bad weather postpones a performance, it will be rescheduled later in the year. At this time, there is no Music in the Park concert scheduled on July 4 or Labor Day weekends.

Bring a lawn chair, spread a blanket on the grass, or settle on one of the park benches to listen.

Schedule of shows:

June 26: The season kicks off with It Takes Two, harmonizing a song selection featuring popular hits from the 50s to modern Top 40s, from dance hits to love ballads. ittakestwoband.com

July 10: The Radium City Rebels are local guys who strut their stuff in homage to Elvis, Buddy, Roy and other 50s icons of early rock and rockabilly.

July 17: The Sting Rays is a quartet that cracks wise, revs up, and revives summer in the city with tunes of the 50s through the 70s. http://thestingrays.com

July 24: New to the stage this year is Kankakeeland’s Very Own The Silhouettes, who’ve been drawing crowds throughout the Tri-state area for over two decades. The Silhouettes bring the show, the sound and the memories back from the original artists.

July 31: Returning to the Music in the Park stage is Bopology. One of Chicago’s powerhouse swing bands brings the Rat Pack and Sinatra era to life. The sextet packages a multi-layered jazz-swing-jump sound into tight arrangements, sprinkles them with improvisations and dishes out all the crooning vocals, horns and cymbal-laced quick-step beat of the big cousins.bopologychicago.com

Aug. 7: Wild Daisy delivers upbeat country with a few pop/rock songs thrown in. Wild Daisy is no stranger to La Salle County, having performed in Oglesby, Seneca and Sandwich events as well as last year’s Music in the Park. wilddaisyband.com

Aug. 14: Returning to the stage this year are the Rosie & the Rivets. Retro from head to toe, from wardrobe to instruments. Delivering danceable music from the 50s and 60s, sprinkled with current hits done with a retro twist. Featuring powerhouse lead vocals, tight harmonies and skillful musicianship. rosieandtherivets.com

Aug. 21: Ray’s Rockets delivers a songbook ranging from the B-52s to the Beatles, this festival/cruise night crew is led by powerhouse vocals and musical virtuosity.

Aug. 28: The last scheduled concert is a returning favorite, Mary & the Troublemakers. Powerful lead vocals are backed by keyboard, percussion and guitar and sprinkled with a healthy dose of knee-slapping humor as this quartet channels Roy (Orbison), (Johnny) Cash, Connie (Francis), Patsy (Cline) and Elvis, among others. marypfeifer.com/mary-the-troublemakers

Music in the Park is sponsored by the city of Ottawa and its Special Events Committee. Follow the Special Events Committee on Facebook (Ottawa Special Events Group) or check the city website cityofottawa.org