The Kind of Blues Band performs Thursday in Norway as part of the Music in the Park series.

NORWAY — This week, Music in the Park will welcome a seasoned group of performers who are no stranger to the series as the Kind of Blues Band presents the seventh concert of the summer. The free summertime music series continue at 7 p.m. Thursday at the band shell in downtown Norway.

Kind of Blues draws their membership from all over the south central Upper Peninsula, and this group of musicians has been pleasing audiences for more than 20 years. The band, composed of all public school educators, features the vocal talents of Iron Mountain Schools Director of Bands Craig Recla, who also plays lead guitar and trumpet, while keyboard specialist Phil Lynch, retired Escanaba High School instructor, handles mainly blues organ/piano, vocals and, yes, trombone. John Beck, who retired as Escanaba Schools choral instructor, plays bass guitar, cigar box guitar, harmonica and provides vocals. Drummer Greg Hunt, former Norway-Vulcan Area Schools music instructor, rounds out the lineup.

The group will present blues made famous by many of the classic blues greats, such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, Walter Trout, Buddy Guy, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Jim Morrison and the Doors and Creedence Clearwater Revival. The band has several new tunes in store for this year’s shows, and is really looking forward to seeing everyone Thursday at Out to Lunch in Iron Mountain and later in Norway. These two venues are among their favorite places to perform.

“We hope folks that come into Iron Mountain for this week’s Out to Lunch concert with Kind of Blues — a ‘double-header” with Out to Lunch — will enjoy the afternoon, have a nice dinner in the area and come on down to beautiful band shell park in Norway for our seventh free performance of this summer’s series. The Kind of Blues Band always brings a really fun show,” MIP Programming Director Carol Sundstrom said.

A second week of beautiful, sunny skies saw live music fans packing band shell park, and the sixth Music in the Park concert in Norway delighted ’70s and ’80s fans of all ages. Chris Charboneau & Friends gave a great live music performance to a near-capacity crowd.

Music in the Park is grateful for the financial support from several organizations, businesses and individuals this year, without whom this concert series would not be possible. Major underwriters include: Darlene Asselin, in memory of William Asselin; The Norway Senior Center (this week’s “Spotlight” Sponsors); The Curtis J. Brackett Memorial Foundation; Northern Interstate Bank – Norway and surrounding areas; The Holmberg Agency of Norway; The Iron Mountain Iron Mine in Vulcan; The Law Offices of Mouw and Celello, Iron Mountain; Carrie Toretta-Partello, Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group of Iron Mountain; Norway Township; Steven and Debra Tinti; Larry and Kathy Bourdeau; Preferred Powersports of Norway; Jim’s Music of Iron Mountain; Tourism Association of the Dickinson County Area; John and Nancy Sundstrom; the Vulcan-Norway-Loretto Lions Club; media support from WJNR-WOBE-WHTO Radio; the Iron Mountain Daily News; the Advertiser; and numerous individual and anonymous sponsors. This support is greatly appreciated.

Upcoming Music in the Park performances include:

July 31: The River Cities Big Band of the Menominee-Marinette, Wis., region;

Aug. 7: Norton, Chartier & Company of Iron Mountain;

Aug. 14: The DayDreamers of Marquette*;

Aug. 21: Special 11th “Audience Appreciation” Concert, featuring the Grand Design Band of Delta County.

(*Double header concert with Iron Mountain’s Out to Lunch series)