THE EAGLE RIVER, WIS., band The Nicolet Drop-Outs will perform at both Out to Lunch in Iron Mountain and Music in the Park in downtown Norway on Thursday, July 27.

NORWAY — After a few “cooler” months in Dickinson County, Thursday daytime and evening concerts at the Iron Mountain Downtown Development Authority stage in the McGee Johnson Park in downtown Iron Mountain and Norway’s downtown bandshell, respectively, return for the summer of 2023.

The free concerts begin Thursday, June 8, for Music in the Park, and Thursday, June 15, for Out To Lunch, when these two programs resume with live entertainment all summer long.

The Out to Lunch concert series will be 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. and Music in the Park series will run from 7 to 8:30 p.m. every Thursday, with the Crossroads Church on Odill Drive serving as the Music in the Park’s concert location for groups if weather conditions turn sour.

Out to Lunch and Music in the Park will feature three doubleheader events — on July 20, July 27 and Aug. 10 — when the groups on these dates perform in both cities.

“We hope folks that come into Iron Mountain for Out to Lunch will enjoy the afternoon, have a nice dinner in the area, and come on down to the beautiful Band Shell Park in Norway for these free evening performances,” MIP spokesperson Carol Sundstrom said.

The Music in the Park program began in 2013, and ran for three summers before the grant funding from the Michigan Council for the Arts was discontinued. At the request of many Norway residents, the program was revived through the efforts of a steering committee that included local artist and former MIP organizer Sundstrom, retired Norway-Vulcan Area Schools instrumental music instructor Greg Hunt and Norway City Manager Ray Anderson.

Iron Mountain’s Out to Lunch program has been entertaining audiences even longer. Started by the late McGee Johnson in 2002, the program has since been administered by several directors, and is currently operated by the DDA.

Sponsorship for the Music in The Park series has come from donations from city residents, local businesses, and underwriting with donations ranging from $2 up to large gifts from area businesses and organizations. Out to Lunch secures funding through sponsorships, money raised through a 50-50 raffle and in-kind donations. This year, a variety of season sponsors support each weekly concert.

“It’s great to see these series both return again this summer. We have fantastic artists lined up and we know our community will appreciate the variety of styles the artists will bring to both downtown concert venues in Iron Mountain and Norway,” Iron Mountain DDA Event Coordinator Kenzie Williamsen said.

The Double Header concerts, featuring groups appearing at both concert series events this season, include —

— July 20: Kind of Blues, featuring members from the Escanaba, Iron Mountain and Menominee areas;

— July 27: The Nicolet Drop-Outs of Eagle River, Wis.;

— August 10: The DayDreamers of Marquette.

For more information or full season schedules for both programs, go to facebook.com/Norway-Music-In-The-Park, or downtownironmountain.com/out-to-lunch.