The Thursday night concerts at Milford’s Lafontaine Family Amphitheater will look (and sound) a bit different to attendees this summer as Central Park has undergone a major renovation, and a new promoter has been contracted to handle the live music.
This past November, Milford Township officials met with Cal and Whitney Stone of Brighton-based 2 Stones Events to get their thoughts on acts for the summer concerts. The couple’s resume includes booking musicians for the Michigan State Fair, multiple Brighton festivals (Smokin’ Jazz & BBQ Blues, Yellowstone Country Music, Wine Art & Music, Taste of Brighton), Cleary University’s Summerfest, Northville’s Arts & Acts, South Lyon Live! @ Pumpkinfest, and many other southeast Michigan events as well as high-profile concerts (George Winston, Marty Stuart, Ramsey Lewis, Marshall Crenshaw, and Wynton Marsalis, among others).
“We view events and venues as if we’re attendees, and that’s how we book the talent,” said Cal Stone, noting that he and his wife attend numerous concerts monthly to check out new acts.
“The majority of community concert series in this general vicinity tend to have the same bands year after year,” said Whitney Stone. “And we totally understand – those bands are solid favorites that people enjoy hearing and expect to see year in and year out. That makes booking somewhat easy and safe, but the metro Detroit area is literally loaded with great musicians. Why not feature some that aren’t staples of the community concert series and give people the opportunity to check out other amazing talent?”
THE TALENT
To that end, 2 Stones Events has lined up a fresh and impressive series that features a wide variety of acts for the 7-9 p.m. concerts:
Dave Bennett (Aug. 15) – jazz, swing, pop and rock
Shiatown (Aug. 22) – hard-hitting modern country
Ben Sharkey (Aug. 29) – contemporary soul, pop and jazz
REVIVAL (Sept. 5) — A Tribute to the Allman Brothers Band
Itchycoo Park (Sept. 12) – energized ‘60s and ‘70s musical tribute
The Detroit Drive (Sept. 19) – classic rock and new country
Teddy Petty & The Refugees (Sept. 26) – a tribute to Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
“And, as with any major event like this that we work on, we have Heslip Audio handle the sound support,” said Cal Stone. “Joe Heslip and his crew are great, and we’ve been working together for probably 20 years now.”
PARK RENOVATIONS
Initially, the seven-concert series was slated to begin on July 25 (with a pause on Aug. 8 for Milford Memories) and conclude on Sept. 12. However, renovations to Central Park were still being completed, and the series start date was bumped to Aug. 15.
The Downtown Development Authority’s project, of which the township contributed $1.5 million, includes a boardwalk, viewing platform, new parking lots and driveway, basketball courts, volleyball court, a new pavilion, an ice-skating rink, and an expansive new lawn with 160+ trees, 1,000+ plantings, gardens and pathways. New Adirondack chairs, benches, picnic tables, and recycle bins will round out the look along with passive ambient lighting for the pathways and driveways.
Although the LaFontaine Family Amphitheater was not part of the project, it was decided by the DDA to hold off on the concerts to give the new grass more time to grow and make sure the park is ready for the town’s biggest annual event, Milford Memories Aug. 9-11. (To learn more about the project, click HERE.)
PARKING, FOOD & DOGS
As in previous seasons of the concert series, volunteer parking attendants will come from two organizations – Huron Valley Schools Marching Band (Aug. 22 and Sept. 5 and 12) and the Milford Historical Society (Aug. 15 and 29, and Sept. 12 and 26).
A donation of $5 is suggested for those who use the park’s lots for the concerts with all the donated funds going towards those respective organizations.
“We raised enough money to help with the renovation of our Log Cabin project and still have a few more things to raise for the project,” said Ron Wilson, president of the historical society.
Parking attendants will be stationed at the park entrance on Main Street to direct drivers. The park’s upper lot will be reserved for handicap parking only – once that lot is full, no more vehicles will be allowed up there.
The small Liberty Street parking lot, which was recently paved, will again be reserved only for volunteers, food vendors, musicians, and the sound company.
The south side of Liberty Street will again be reserved for law enforcement and emergency vehicles. The north side of Liberty may be used for parking golf carts by those who use that method of transportation to the concerts.
Food vendors will again include volunteers from the Milford Senior Center and the Knights of Columbus selling ice cream from a small trailer and food in a large canopy, respectively, to raise funds for their organizations.
Lastly, but certainly not least, please leave your pooch at home if you plan on coming to the concerts as the Milford Police will be enforcing the park’s “no dogs” rule, according to Sgt. Dan Caldwell.
