Music at Memorial, the free summer music concert series in New Prague, is set for its fifth year of performances, beginning on June 17. There are eight concerts this year, all on Wednesday nights.
The concert series is produced by the New Prague Arts Foundation. The foundation took ownership of the summer series when the New Prague Area Arts Council chose not to do it in 2025.
With the delays in constructing the POPS facility, this summer’s concerts will, again, be held in Memorial Park.
“Thanks to the graciousness of the city, we were able to book the shelter area by the two ball fields at Memorial Park by the playground,” Den Gardner, president of the New Prague Arts Foundation and organizer of this event, said. “We chose Wednesday nights so we wouldn’t interfere with youth baseball on Thursday nights. Community concert series in the summer are common for Wednesdays or Thursdays. We were lucky the city was able to work with us to get Wednesdays booked.”
Band Schedule (Wednesday nights):
- June 17 –Eddie Shimota Band (and possibly one or two members of the local band Jaws). Always a popular band. Genre: Polka/Country
- June 24 –Solid Gold. Classic Rock (I have talked to Wayne L and ALL of their music at this will be recognizable classic rock songs.
- July 1 – David K Tribute Shows — NEW band for us this year. They to tribute covers of such various artists as: Roy Orbison/Elton/John/Buddy Holly/The Monkees, etc. Very entertaining music and show.
- July 8 – Wreckless. NEW band for us this year. This local band plays rock/pop/country music covers, new and old. Very popular in the area. Headed by Cary Havlicek of NP Music Institute. He’s been a great supporter of POPS and our foundation.
- July 15 – Holy Rocka Rollaz – NEW band for us this year. This band plays classics exclusively from the 1950s – Presley, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, etc.
- July 22 — Jazz on the Prairie – Eden Prairie’s community big band. Had for first time last year. GREAT music from the big band era of the ‘40s.
- July 29 — Smisek Brothers –
- August 5 — Little Chicago – The summer concert series ends with local band Little Chicago – playing rock/pop horn band songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s.
Sponsors (so far – contact Den for information on sponsoring a concert):
- Brusseau Investments/Diversified Wealth Management
- Dr. Mike and Kay Wilcox
- Bruzek Funeral Home
- Gardner & Gardner Communications
- Bishop Investments of TrueJourney
- Minnwest Bank
All concerts are free to the public from 6:30 p.m. to approximately 8 p.m.
New this year: we are adding a half-hour “pre-show” with local groups performing prior to the featured band. The pre-show group will perform from 6 p.m. to about 6:30 p.m.