June Concert Series On At Brookside

's free Tuesday night concert series continues tonight with the distinctive jazz, funk, blues and rock sound of Damon Foreman.

The series, now in its eighth year, will conclude next Tuesday, June 28, with a performance by the Washington, D.C.-based high energy, blues-infused Bad Influence Band.

"We wanted to offer a nice, free summertime event to the community," said Leslie McDermott, a spokeswoman for Brookside.

The concerts are from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. near the Japanese Tea House in front of the labyrinth on the Gude Garden Lawn (weather permitting).  No registration is required; visitors can bring blankets and lawn chairs and picnic dinners as long as all trash is taken home for disposal. Food is usually not permitted in the gardens, and there are no trash cans. In case of rain, the concerts are in the Visitors Center.

Each concert typically draws 200 to 400 people. There is no theme to each series. Instead, Brookside tries to offer a diverse group of musical selections to broaden the concerts' appeal to Wheaton and surrounding communities.

The series has grown popular, McDermott said, as the same groups of friends or families return each June for the series. Children dance in the grass or explore the labyrinth during performances, and bands have announced concert-goers' birthday or anniversary celebrations.

Musicians and bands interested in performing a free concert at Brookside in June 2012 should send a music sample to Mark Richardson, Brookside's manager of adult education programs, at mark.richardson@montgomeryparks.org. Brookside will select performers for next summer's series by this fall.