by Sarah Thomack
St. Joseph Post
Live music will be on the Parkway in St. Joseph this summer as Parties on the Parkway returns for a shortened season.
Kristi Bailey with the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce says three different bands will be featured on three different parts of the Parkway on August 13th, August 27th and September 10th.
“Bands are excited to be able to play,” Bailey tells St. Joseph Post. “A lot of them, of course, have had gigs cancel, they haven’t been making their normal income… so all three were definitely eager to take part.”
Parties on the Parkway is typically held once a month, May through September, but with the pandemic, Bailey says organizers put Parties on pause until they were sure they could put on events and what safety measures would need to be in place.
“There have been a couple other outdoor events that have been happening… and they seem to have been able to operate well," Bailey says. "Some people that are nervous about those things are just staying home, while others that feel like that can spread out or listen to music safely have been coming out.”
Bailey says things will be a little different at Parties on the Parkway this year.
“We’re going to have hand sanitizing stations and extra hand washing stations. Guests are going to be asked to social distance, that’s why we say bring your chairs and your blankets and try to spread out from each other,” Bailey says. “Our staff will be going around and disinfecting commonly used items like the drink stations and things like that. So we’re going to be doing a little extra work to try to keep everybody safe.”
Parties on the Parkway will kick off at 5 p.m. this Thursday at Corby Grove by Corby Pond with the band Oxymoron performing. For more information, visit the Chamber’s website at saintjoseph.com.