North Shore Views

Thornwood Park Concert – 2011

If you live in or around Wilmette’s Kenilworth Gardens neighborhood, you won’t want to miss the 7th annual Thornwood Park Concert this Sunday, July 10. First conceived of by Harper parents Terri and Tony Lorenz, and sponsored by the Friends of Thornwood Park, the concert is truly a neighborhood event. Bring your lawn chairs and your picnic and relax for a few hours with friends, family and neighbors.

As usual there will be performances by three bands of neighborhood dads who are frustrated rock stars. The opening act is the Junior Concert, with performances by some of our talented neighborhood kids.

In addition to great music, there will be a balloon artist and face painting, as well as a bouncy house, sponsored by yours truly. Last, but definitely not least, we’ll look forward to a visit from the Wilmette Fire Department, who will bathe willing concert goers with a 40 ft. vertical spray of water from the fire hose.

The Junior Concert starts at 3:00 pm and will be followed directly by the dads’ concert. The fun will continue til 8:00 pm.

All are welcome at the concert. We only ask that you make a donation to cover the cost of the event. Any remaining proceeds go to help purchase items for the park, like picnic tables. You can make a donation here.

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Tags: Kenilworth Gardens, summer concerts, Thornwood Park

Summer Concerts at Plaza del Lago – 2011

One of the things I love about summer on the North Shore is the number of outdoor concerts you can enjoy, many of them free. One of my favorite music venues is Plaza del Lago in Wilmette.

Every Thursday evening for six weeks in the summer, Plaza del Lago hosts free summer concerts in the parking lot. The concerts run from 6:00 to 8:00 pm (weather permitting) and you can bring a picnic or purchase your dinner from the restaurants in the plaza and eat al fresco as you enjoy the music.

Here’s the line-up for 2011:

June 30 – Moss/Realtime (original post-modern instrumental)

July 7 – The Dang-Its (Honky Tonk, Western Swing and Americana)

July 14 – Gone 2 Paradise (The Ultimate Jimmy Buffett Tribute Band)

July 21 – The New Invaders (British Rock)

July 28 – Ac*Rock (a cappella Rock ‘n’ Roll)

August 4 – Conjunto (Chicago’s premier Salsa Orchestra)

Plaza del Lago is located at 1515 Sheridan Rd. in Wilmette.

Tags: Plaza del Lago, summer concerts

Free Concerts in Plaza del Lago

Every summer Plaza del Lago hosts free concerts on Thursday nights at 6:00pm. Here’s the line-up for 2010:

June 24 – Day Oh (steel drum music)

July 1 – The New Invaders (’60s British Rock)

July 8 – James Saunders & Conjunto (Latin jazz, salsa)

July 15 – Liquid Soul (R&B soul)

July 22 – The Ultimate Maliks (dance music)

July 29 – Big Bang Theory (classics with a jazz twist)

Plaza del Lago is located at 1515 Sheridan Road in Wilmette. You can sit outside at one of the restaurants (Convito Cafe, Starbucks, No Man’s Land) or buy something and take it with you. Convito usually does a BBQ on concert nights and sells brats, dogs, chicken and Italian sausage to concert-goers.

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Plaza del Lago

Tags: Plaza del Lago, summer concerts