• the217
• Music
• A walk in the park

It’s mid-July and that leaves a little over a month of summer. If you’ve failed to do more than watch television and bathe in the sun, don’t fret; there’s still something to do yet. Champaign Park District has made it easy, fun, and free to have a good time before school starts in August.

Head outdoors and off campus for great music with the District’s summer concert series. Shows are held at different parks throughout Champaign, and there is sure to be a different act for everyone to enjoy, as a wide range of artists from many genres are booked throughout the last weeks of the summer season.

The aim of the concert series is to include all of the Champaign community into the music scene, inviting not just students, but families and other permanent residents to enjoy the music that is often too hastily assumed to be exclusive to college culture. With shows beginning in the early evening and lasting until the stars come out, you get to enjoy the sunshine and listen to great artists under the moonlight.

In addition to the Hessell and Douglass parks concert series, Westside Park hosts “Eat to the Beat,” which showcases live music and great food.

Visit http://www.champaignparkdistrict.com/events/concerts.htm for an impressive and comprehensive list of the Park District’s upcoming shows. With all of our favorites from Headlights, to Krukid, to Curb Service scheduled to rock the parks and downtown area in the upcoming weeks, there’s no doubt that the Champaign Park District knows what’s up in local music. With all the free music and sunshine, there’s no reason to stay indoors and waste the last days of precious summer freedom.