Summer Music Series at Long’s Park is a Lancaster institution

BY JEFF FALK

They say that the best things in life are free. Maybe the only thing better is people sharing resources with others.

The Long’s Park Amphitheater Foundation’s Summer Music Series is back bigger and better than ever. But as it has evolved into a major event in Lancaster County, the Summer Music Series has become more reliant on the financial support of local businesses and philanthropic organizations.

Long’s Park Amphitheater Foundation president Tom Ellis said that the popular events couldn’t be offered free to the public without that support. This year’s 13-concert Summer Music Series, which will be conducted every Sunday at 7:30 p.m. from June 4 to Aug. 27 at Long’s Park, 1441 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster, is being backed by Citadel, Clark Associates, Ephrata National Bank, Everence, the Hershey Company, Lancaster County Community Foundation and Woodstream.

“It’s a special event and businesses are allowing us to have this event,” said Ellis. “The series doesn’t happen without these sponsors. It’s not a nicety; it’s a necessity. They’ve really stepped up in an economy that doesn’t allow for this type of funding.”

“We curate music and art for everyone in the Lancaster community,” added Ellis.

“Most of our audience is drawn from the city of Lancaster.”

If generous support has become a trademark of the Long’s Park Amphitheater Foundation’s Summer Music Series’ 61-year tradition, so has diversity. This summer’s music series, which features a wide variety of genres, from jazz to Irish, from blues to rock, from bluegrass to funk and soul, promises not to disappoint.

Traditionally, the Summer Music Series has drawn between 3,000 and 6,000 viewers for each 90-minute concert. That number usually balloons to 25,000 to 30,000 for its annual patriotic concert, which this year will be celebrated on July 2.

“It’s how summer begins,” said Ellis. “For people who grew up here, they’ll say, ‘I remember going to the Long’s Park Summer Music Series.’ I think this year’s lineup is one of the best we’ve had in years. Its diversity is curated for every audience. We want to make sure the music resonates with the citizens of Lancaster. We almost need to be fresh and new every year so people come back.”

The now-iconic Long’s Park Amphitheater was built in 1962, and the summer music simply followed. Over those years, the Summer