By QUENTIN YAROLEM
Iowa City changes in May. The herds of undergraduate college students migrate back home, and the year-round residents reclaim the city. The nightlife changes from drunken adventures at the local bars to a more family-friendly environment full of art ranging from live music to free movies on the Pentacrest.
The Iowa City Summer of the Arts, an organization dedicated to providing free, family-fun events for the community throughout the season, will continue its 2016 season at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Weatherdance Fountain Stage. There will be a performance by the Fez, the latest participant in the weekly Friday Night Concert Series.
What started as a small event in 1992 has turned into a local favorite, drawing in crowds anywhere from 100 to 1,000 people. The series aims to provide a platform for musicians and helps local businesses having a different business sponsor each performance.
This week’s group, the Fez, is a local Steely Dan tribute band comprising 15 members, including a four-piece horn section, three backup singers, two keyboard players, two guitar players, and an entire rhythm section. The small army aims to attract members from throughout the community.
The members of the band, whose performance will be sponsored by Herteen & Stocker Jewelers, are no strangers to the downtown music scene; many of them have played in bands such as Public Property, Dr. Z’s Experiment, We Funk, Big Funk Guarantee, Amanda Miller and the Super Secrets, OSG, and Insectoid, among others.
Whether it’s the Friday Night Concert Series or the Iowa City Jazz Festival, set to take place July 1-3, the Summer of the Arts works to bring free entertainment to the city.
The Summer of the Arts has provided the community with free cultural events since 2005. The group puts on the Jazz Festival and the Friday Night Concerts as well as early June’s Iowa Arts Festival, the Free Movie Series, and the Iowa Soul Festival.
All of the events are free, Executive Director Lisa Barnes stressed.
“Although there is definitely an affluent population here, there are a lot of people who might not be able to afford to buy a ticket for a show or exhibit,” she said. “We feel strongly that the arts should be accessible to everyone, which is why our events are free.”
Barnes noted the importance of attracting a younger audience.
“Young children have a thirst for knowledge and new experiences, and by introducing them to the arts at a young age, they can develop important skills and an appreciation of the arts,” she said.