Residents will have to break out their lawn chairs again this year as the town gears up again for its Concerts in the Park series.
The eight concerts held on Thursdays July 11 to Aug. 21 are sponsored by the Town of Secaucus and the Secaucus Reporter, as well as local sponsors for individual shows.
Even without the proposed improvements the mayor and council had planned to make to Buchmuller Park, the Summer Concert series will move ahead there.
Town officials had hoped to have a new band shell and seating as well as improvements to the ice rink done by the beginning of summer, but high bids and delays in re-bidding the project had forced the town to put the work off until after this year’s musical season.
The concerts will be held in Buchmuller Park next to the Secaucus Library in the Plaza section of town. These concerts will start at 7 p.m. and run to about 9 p.m.
Mayor Dennis Elwell said the idea behind the concerts was to help maintain the small town texture of Secaucus by providing an opportunity for the community to gather. Over the last three years, the concert series was expanded from six performances to eight, with larger and larger crowds.
"Last year we saw crowds of more than 1,000 a night," Elwell said, noting that while the concerts have tended to be geared towards the town’s senior citizen population, a more varied program has is designed to draw a wider range of ages.
"There is no cost, and the sponsors provide the refreshments," he said. "In the past, sponsors have tried to provide food that fit the theme that night."
While the Secaucus Reporter helps co-sponsor the whole season, the town has sought out businesses to sponsor an event each week.
Iacono said that while some performers from last summer are returning, such as Ernie Contri, Joseph Eigo, Leo DeAngelo and Jimmy Sturr, new performers are joining them this year. Elwell said the town has sought to find musicians that will satisfy the musical tastes of various age groups, from Big Band to Elvis, and from Broadway to pop.
The 2002 Concert in the Park series in Buchmuller Park will open on July 11 with a tribute to Benny Goodman.
On July 18, Fortune Entertainment will provide a variety of jukebox hits ranging from the 1940s to the present. Led by singer Julian Hernandez, Fortune emulates the original artists from the Golden Oldies to hip dance tracks.
Billing himself as "The Other Kid from Hoboken," Ernie Contri will perform on July 25, providing a range of performers from Sinatra to Nat King Cole, the Ink Spots to Tony Bennett.
Elvis will be spotted in Secaucus on Aug. 1 when Joseph Eigo – a New Jersey shore sensation – makes a return engagement with his tribute to Elvis Presley. His shows are renditions of Elvis performances from 1972 to 1977.
Leo DeAngelo will bring a variety of Italian songs and light opera to Secaucus on Aug. 8. Leo has been a hit with the series for the last two years, and did a second performance in 2000.
Another new addition to this year’s lineup are the Infernos, a group that features – among others – former members of the Duprees and the Classics IV. The Infernos, who will appear in the park on Aug. 15, have performed such hit songs as You Belong To Me, Have You Heard, My Own True Love, Everyday With You Girl, Traces, and Stormy.
The nine-member group features five singers and a rhythm and horn section.
On Aug. 22, the Grammy Award-winning Jimmy Sturr Orchestra will entertain Secaucus residents with what has been called "the big band music of Polka."
Closing the 2002 season will be an all-star cast of local talent, which could include young Paul Iacono, Rob Fornier, and others.
Although plans to upgrade the park facilities have been delayed, Elwell said work on the park would start over the summer dealing with areas of the project that would not have an impact on the concert area. At present, the performers use a wooden gazebo at the park’s center with the audience seated in folding chairs. As envisioned by the designers, a band shell will be installed in the park with seating for those attending various community events.
"We didn’t want to impact on the concert series since it has been such a successful thing," Elwell said.