DPRCA presents Songs on Central

Has your summer been kind of a bummer so far? Not to worry, the Dakota Prairie Regional Center for the Art is offering a whole summer line up of musical talent to brighten your Sundays.

DPRCA’s Songs on Central productions will run every other Sunday from June 14 to Aug. 9 and will present not just one, but five different concerts to enjoy.

Each event will feature seasoned DPRCA performers belting out beloved tunes from Hollywood, Disney and Broadway. Talents already committed to performing include Katie Allmaras, Kelsie Belquist, Jacee Engels, Erin Greiner, Jared Hartl, Tessa Hartl, Annette Hovey, Nick Hovey, Micah Nicolai, Elliott Schwab, Savannah Bay Strandin, Elijah O’Sullivan and Kaci Weisenburger.  

The truly charming part of the performance is that each one will take place on the balcony above the DPRCA Studio, overlooking Central Avenue. The idea came about after Managing Director Deb Belquist saw video footage from European countries where individuals sang from their balconies during the COVID-19 outbreaks.

The festival will offer the vibe of a street fair with plenty of space. Central Avenue will be closed off from Eighth to Ninth Street to ensure enough room for listeners to social distance and enjoy the outdoors. The concert will be loud enough to hear throughout downtown, so residents can enjoy the music even if they can't be near the balcony performance.

Bars and other shops on Central Avenue will be open as well. Transcript Publishing will be selling custom apparel souvenirs and Historically Great Coffee. Concessions will be on sale at Latte Lobby, with online ordering available for those that wish to have items delivered to them in their cars.

One of the most exciting aspects of the concerts is that patrons will be able to vote for their favorite songs from each one online.The top favorites will be performed a second time during the “Greatest Hits” show on the last Sunday.

Festivities begin Sunday, June 14 at 4 p.m. The concert will be about two hours long. In the case of rain, the festivities will continue unless lightning, thunder or downpour.

For more information visit the DPRCA website, https://www.dprca.com.

From the website patrons can access the programs for each Sunday and make donations to DPRCA. This will be an amazing event that will help us relax and enjoy some great entertainment during these trying times in our country. Don’t forget to be safe and take the correct safety precaution but most importantly HAVE FUN!

If you have any more questions you can contact Deb or Erin at the DPRCA:

Deb Belquist at [email protected] or Erin Greiner at [email protected].