Check out Mae Simpson Music July 18

The Park Rapids Downtown Business Association invites you to celebrate summer at 2nd Street Stage Thursday evenings through Aug. 15.

This is the eighth year of the great community get-together that 2nd Street Stage has become.

The free concerts from 6 to 8 p.m. (7 to 9 p.m. Aug. 8) with bands, a beer garden, cornhole tournaments and family activities on the second block of South Main. Bring your own lawn chair.

The beer garden will open at 5 p.m. for a social hour while you find your spot, listen to the sound check and greet neighbors and friends. Support this great event by buying an official 2019 button and receive $2 off all beverages at the beer garden.

TEAM Industries will sponsor Mae Simpson Music, playing soul, funk, blues and rock Thursday, July 18. Originally from Beaufort, SC, Mae Simpson spent her formative years knowing that there were plans to do bigger things in life. Mae set out from the South at a young age and began her musical career in Omaha. At age 21, she headed north to Minneapolis. By November 2017, she joined her vocal and guitar talents with Jorgen Wadkins on guitar and Ricardo Romero on percussion. Influenced by blues, soul, funk and folk, the trio quickly realized their collaborative efforts had a sound worth pursuing and rounded out their sound with four more musicians. Whether the venue is small and intimate, or raucous and roiling, the band members' contagious connection draws the audience into each note.

Arrive at 5 for the Social Hour and sample a treat grilled especially for the event by the crew from Cwikla Ace Hardware.

To see the complete summer line up, go to http://www.parkrapidsdowntown.com.

Weekly stage sponsor is R.D. Offutt Farms. TruStar Federal Credit Union is weekly sound sponsor. This activity is also made possible, in part, by the voters of Minnesota, through a grant from the Region 2 Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.