By Meredith Winter
For music enthusiasts, summers in Severna Park are bookended by free concert series at Hatton Regester Green. Each May and September, the Friends of Anne Arundel County Trails arranges for local musicians to perform on Sunday afternoons at the idyllic spot in the heart of town. The May concert series earlier this year was the first to be performed on the park’s newly constructed covered stage.
Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets and refreshments – and then to sit back and enjoy a casual outdoor show. The free concerts begin at 4:00pm and are approximately two hours long. They are made possible through grant funding provided by the Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks.
Weather permitting, this month’s lineup is as follows.
September 6: Laura Brino and Meg Murray
An award-winning indie folk-pop singer-songwriter, Laura Brino has released 10 albums over her two-decade musical career. She pens lyrics that explore themes of resilience, identity, grief, healing, love, friendship and hope, and her songs are characterized by rich narratives, memorable melodies and a willingness to embrace vulnerability.
Meg Murray has performed in duos and bands and has released six of her own albums. The Annapolis-based singer-songwriter’s soulful voice has captivated audiences across Maryland and Washington, D.C., and she has performed in venues spanning New York City to Birmingham, Alabama.
Together, Brino and Murray are the leadership team behind Songbird Collective, which hosts an annual music festival and exists to help musicians succeed.
September 13: MDPolka
Retired music teacher Dave Ingalls formed a German band to play at church functions in the 1990s. Simultaneously, Severna Park resident Ed Justice worked in Stuttgart, Germany, for three years and joined a local German band before returning home in 1996. Ingalls recruited Justice to play in his band, and when requests to play at private parties started coming in, Justice organized the band into MDPolka.
The first event they played was West Severna Park’s Oktoberfest in 1998, and they have played every year since. MDPolka currently performs about a dozen times annually from August through October.
September 20: Sparks & McCoy
Regulars at the Hatton Register Green concert series, Edward Sparks and Steve McCoy have performed as a duo for over four decades. Appearing at local and not-so-local venues, they play acoustic classic rock and cover musicians including The Beatles; The Eagles; James Taylor; Cat Stevens; Jim Croce; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; and others.
Switching between six- and 12-string guitars, bass, harmonica and piano to back up rich harmonies, Sparks & McCoy create an impressive, full sound coming from just two people.
September 27: Celtic Music Club
Comprised of amateur musicians spanning a range of experience levels, the Celtic Music Club meets weekly in Catonsville to play together and enjoy the community of musicianship. They perform traditional Celtic music – primarily Irish and Scottish jigs, reels and hornpipes – on flutes, fiddles, guitars and tin whistles among other instruments. During weekly gatherings, their dance tunes also feature mandolin, concertina, cittern, accordion, cello and/or bodhran.
To learn more about the Hatton Regester Green concert series, visit www.friendsofaatrails.org.
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