Pack a picnic, invite your friends and bring your neighbors to the first annual “Live on the Drive” summer music concerts on June 12, July 10 and August 14. The concerts are free and will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Victory Memorial Drive at 34th Avenue N.
Presented by founding partner, North Memorial, with the Cleveland Neighborhood Association and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, the series features great music in a beautiful setting.
“We are so pleased to be a founding community partner for this event, and look forward to bringing good music and messages of good health to our neighbors,” said Sue Lundquist, marketing manager for North Memorial.
On June 12 the Drive will be alive with salsa music performed by Tres Mundos, a trio of international talent featuring pianist/ vocalist Viviana Pintado (Cuba), percussionist Eliezer Freites-Santos (Brazil), and saxophonist/flutist Douglas Little (USA). Salsa dance instruction included!
On July 10 Live on the Drive welcomes acclaimed jazz vocalist Dennis Spears. Spears began his career with Moore By Four, and has since performed as a singer and actor in the Twin Cities and around the world including jazz festival appearances with Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Williams, Sarah Vaughn and Dee Dee Bridgewater.
August 14 features the music of New Primitives. This diverse group of talented musicians is dedicated to bringing people together through their high-energy Rhythm & Blues, Ska, Reggae, Calypso and World Dance music.
Concertgoers are encouraged to save gas and walk or roll to the events (parking is very limited).
In addition to the concerts, North Memorial and other neighborhood businesses and organizations will host information tables at the event. On June 12, staff from North Memorial’s Hope Chest Breast Center will focus on breast health education with self exam brochures and comprehensive services and screening information.
This concert series idea grew out of the success of one concert that the Cleveland Neighborhood held on the Drive last summer. People from all across the community came to the concert on bikes, on foot and with kids in wagons. Families came with picnics, and folks who were walking dogs stopped to enjoy the music. One of the musicians said the setting reminded him of Paris. It was such a delightful evening that the Cleveland Neighborhood decided they’d like to reprise this scene this summer, and for years to come.
Mark your calendars and plan to celebrate summer and Northside city living at all three Live on the Drive concerts. For rain dates and further info, call 612-588-1155 or visit www.clevelandneighborhood.org.
Find info on the performers: Tres Mundos — www.charangatropical.com, Dennis Spears — www.dennisspears.com, and New Primitives — www.newprimitives.com.
