A blue moon rose slowly behind the sounds of the GalFriday Band at the Lakeside Music Room of Cheraw State Park Friday, Aug. 31. And organizers of the free summer concert series, Jeffrey Johnson and Mark Davies, say they hope this successful project will not be something that comes along once in a blue moon.
“We hope to do it again,” said Johnson. “We were very pleased with the performances. And I think everyone that attended truly enjoyed themselves.”
The concerts, scheduled at sunset for the last Friday night of each summer month, May to August, were completely paid for by early spring, and were offered free to the public. Thanks to the fund raising efforts of Johnson, at Pee Dee Outfitters of Cheraw, Davies, director of Cheraw State Park, and Dylan Sneed, a representative of Artsville, of Harstville, S.C. local citizens enjoyed food and entertainment by the lake throughout the summer.
Various local businesses provided food that was available for purchase at each of the concerts. Extra lighting, and solar foot lights, were added to the walk leading to and from the boat dock shelter where the concerts were held. State park officials also added extra picnic tables and made improvements to the sound system at the shelter.
Contributions for the concert series were collected through kickstart.com from local individuals and community businesses. “We are really grateful for all of the support,” said Johnson, “and look forward to seeing it happen again. We already have several people interested in helping for next year.”
T-shirts from the summer series are still available at Pee Dee Outfitters of Cheraw and anyone wishing to volunteer their help in organizing the event next year should contact Johnson at Pee Dee Outfitters, or go on line for more information at lakesidemusicroom.com.
— Staff Writer Karen Kissiah can be reached by calling 843-537-5261, or by email at kkissiah@heartlandpublications.com.
















