Kind of Blues Band plays Thursday at Out to Lunch in Iron Mountain and Music in the Park in Norway.

NORWAY — Music in the Park continues as the Kind of Blues Band performs at 7 p.m. Thursday at the bandshell in downtown Norway.

The Kind of Blues Band draws their membership from the southcentral Upper Peninsula, and this group of musicians has been pleasing audiences for more than 25 years. The band, composed of all public school educators, features the vocal of Iron Mountain Schools Director of Bands Craig Recla, who also plays lead guitar and trumpet; keyboard specialist Phil Lynch, a retired Escanaba High School instructor, who handles mainly blues organ/piano, vocals and, yes, trombone; John Beck, retired Escanaba Schools Choral instructor who plays bass guitar, cigar box guitar, harmonica and provides vocals; and drummer Greg Hunt, a retired Norway-Vulcan Area Schools music instructor.

The band will perform tunes made famous by many of the blues greats, such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, Walter Trout, Buddy Guy, Samantha Fish, Eric Clapton, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Jim Morrison and the Doors and Creedance Clearwater Revival. The band has several new tunes in store for this year’s shows, and is really looking forward to seeing everyone Thursday in Iron Mountain and Norway. These two great venues are among their favorite places to perform, and they look forward to lots of blues fans and music lovers coming out for this program.

“We hope folks that come into Iron Mountain for this week’s Out to Lunch concert with Kind of Blues Band will enjoy the afternoon, have a nice dinner in the area and come on down to beautiful Band Shell Park in Norway for our fifth free performance of this summer’s fabulous series, featuring a full-length show by this talented band,” MIP Program Director Carol Sundstrom said.

The weather cooperated, and another full park of excited live music fans was treated to music from the 1960s at the band shell Thursday as the fourth Music in the Park concert of the 2026 season took place with The Grand Design Band.

In case of inclement weather, concerts will shift to the Crossroads Church Grace United Methodist/Bethany Lutheran on Odill Drive, behind the Norway Historical Museum on the east edge of Norway. Check the Norway Music in the Park Facebook page for updates if the weather is questionable.

Music in the Park is grateful for the financial support they have received from several organizations, businesses and individuals this year, without whom this concert series would not be possible. Major sponsors for 2026 include: Jim’s Music of Iron Mountain and Preferred Powersports of Norway (this week’s spotlight sponsors); Steve and Debbie Tinti; Carrie Toretta-Partello, Coldwell Banker Real Estate of Iron Mountain; the Vulcan-Norway-Loretto Lions Club; Holmberg General Insurance Agency of Norway; The Tourism Association of Dickinson County; Norway TDS Pharmacy; Loadmaster of Norway; Northern Interstate Bank of Norway; Law Offices of Mouw & Celello in Iron Mountain; Darleen Asselin, in memory of William Asselin; The Norway Senior Center; Jeri’s Quilt Shop of Norway; Larry and Kathy Bourdeau; Jon and Nancy Sundstrom; James Mortier; Norway Township; the Curtis J. Brackett Community Foundation; and numerous individual and anonymous sponsors. Music in the Park is also grateful to media partners WJNR-WHTO-WOBE Radio of Iron Mountain, The Iron Mountain Daily News and The ADvertiser.

Upcoming Music in the Park performances include:

— July 16: Kaleidoscope Jos*;

— July 23: Finding Feathers;

— July 30: Music Jar;

— Aug. 6: The River Cities Big Band;

— Aug. 13: The DayDreamers*.

(*Double Header concert with Iron Mountain Out to Lunch)