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'Summer in the Park' returns photo by Andrew Mariman By BILL KETTLER Warm sunshine and cool breezes greeted the crowd Sunday when Medford's annual "Summer in the Park" concerts returned to the Bear Creek amphitheater. The weather couldn't have been sweeter for the opening night of the free concert series. Families made picnics in the last golden light of the day, while kids and dogs made new friends on the grassy hillside. "It's a wonderful way to spend a Sunday evening," said Judy Guss, of Medford, as she soaked up the fading sunlight. "They bring a variety of music, plus it gives families something to do. There's not a whole lot you can do for free," "I came to almost all of them last year," Guss said, "and the year before, too." "You can't beat the price," said Pam Anderson, of Medford, as she lounged on a blanket with her Pekingese, Quincy, and her sister, Patrice McMichael. If you go Bear Creek Park concerts continue through Aug. 19. Performances begin at 7:15 p.m. June 24 - Dan Balmer Group, contemporary jazz and reggae. Balmer is a Portland guitarist. July 1 - Gabriel & The Technicians, Rogue Valley group that plays modern pop and funk as well as early jazz. July 8 - Etouffee, swamp rock, a mix of Southern rock, rhythm and blues, and Cajun. July 15 - Siskiyou Summit, acoustic bluegrass, rock and country. July 22 - King Cotton Jazz Band, Dixieland jazz. July 29 - Craig Allen Blues Band, with a mix of blues, R&B and rock. Aug. 5 - Beau Berry Band, hits from the '50s to the '90s, jazz, country, rock, pop. Aug. 12 - Zion Train, another Rogue Valley band, playing reggae, blues and jazz. Aug. 19 - John Nilsen, jazz pianist from Portland and formerly of Ashland. He's appeared at the Britt Music Festivals. "We find ourselves coming out almost every week, even if it's a style of music we don't care for," said Robin Porter of Medford, sitting in a lawn chair beside her husband, Mike, while Brittany, their Sheltie, watched the crowd. "It's a good way to learn about other kinds of music." The Porters heard tunes with a Celtic flair on this opening night. A duo called Gypsy Soul, Cilette Swann and Roman Morykit, performed rock and folk tunes that drew inspiration from the early music of Scotland. Swann, a Canadian, and Morykit, a Briton, traveled the world performing together as Gypsy Soul before they settled in Southern Oregon. "You guys are keepers," Swann said, acknowledging the crowd's applause between tunes. "That's why we moved to Oregon. Everybody's cool. It's such a treat. This is not how it is in other places." The concert series will see a few changes this year, said Tom Hilton, who supervises the program for the Medford Parks and Recreation Department. The old custom of passing the hat for contributions has returned because the parks department could not find sponsors for three of this season's 10 concerts. Hilton said a downturn in the economy made it more difficult to find sponsors this year, and funding for three of the 10 concerts in the series has not been secured. Besides passing the hat, the city will seek $100 contributions from individuals to fund those concerts. The series began 12 years ago, where the large play structure in Bear Creek Park now stands. It moved to the amphitheater, the site of a dump in the 1920s and '30s, seven years ago. Trees that were planted when the site was landscaped have grown enough to begin to offer some shade on the west-facing hillside, but Hilton said the weather determines the size of the crowd more than the music that's being played. "On those hundred-degree days we tend to have fewer people," he said. Hilton said the amphitheater will seat up to 3,000 people, but crowds tend to range under 1,000, so there's almost always plenty of space to sprawl and enjoy the show. "It's family entertainment," Hilton said. "People come out with their dogs; kids are just out there playing. It's a good thing to see." Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.