Every Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in Opelika’s Municipal Park a free outdoor concert is hosted by Opelika Parks & Recreation. These Summer Swing Concerts feature musical entertainment such as jazz, rhythm and blues, country, big band swing and folk, according to Opelika’s Parks & Recreation website.
Tuesday, May 2, the Summer Swing Concert Series’ entertainment was singing impressionist Conner Lorre. Lorre delivered a classic impression of the famous singer and songwriter Neil Diamond. Diamond is a pop, rock, and country singer whose career took off during the 60s and was one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Lorre captured Diamond by singing some of his most recognizable work like “Desiree,” “I’m a Believer” and “Girl You’ll Be A Woman Soon.”
“Having lost practically everybody in my family, music became my medicine," Lorre said. "The Neil stuff came later. Music is the best medicine ever.”
These concerts are hosted every summer starting in May and ending Aug. 4. There to provide food for the attendees, the Opelika Band Boosters cook hamburgers and hotdogs on a grill for a small charge which they use to fund Opelika bands. Charter Bank provides lemonade during the concerts. Kona Ice sells their shaved ice at the events planned in the concert series.
The historic Rocky Brook Rocket train in Municipal Park has once again been taken off the tracks for maintenance.
Laura Leigh Chesser, public relations coordinator for Opelika Parks & Recreation said she hopes to have it back on the tracks for events planned this coming December.
“This event has been going on for 30-plus years,” Chesser said.
Lorre has been a mainstay at the event, according to Chesser.
“A lot of our bands have been with us since the beginning of this thing,” Chesser said. “Connor Lorre has been here since I came into this position.”
Chesser said Lorre is a favorite because he performs his hour of music no matter what weather they are having.
The Auburn University concert bands used to perform for the Summer Concert Series until about five years ago, Chesser said.
In the park, entire families bring lawn chairs and set up on the lawn across from the stage and watch the weekly entertainment.
Stephen, an audience member at the event said he has been coming to the concerts for a while.
“We’ve been coming to the concerts ever since we moved to Opelika," Stephen said. "When they said [Lorre] was gonna come here, it was the first time we ever heard of him. He came out for the first show. He was so great, so we just came out to everyone after that.”
Next week, Route 66 will perform for Opelika and Auburn visitors to Municipal Park.
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