By Jeff Walker
Features Editor
San Marcos —
Dr. Arlis Hiebert considers the Summer in the Park concert series a gift to the residents of San Marcos.
And the size of the package just keeps on growing.
The weekly musical shows in the park kick off June 3 with The Deraliers and continue every Thursday evening through Aug. 12. Confirmed acts this season include several new faces, including Joel Guzman and Sarah Fox, guitar group Incendio and polka masters Brave Combo.
“This is the most seasoned professional lineup that we’ve had. It really for me keeps getting bigger and better,” Hiebert, the event coordinator for SIP, said. “I hope that it really communicates with San Marcos audiences. We have the potential to break all of our attendance records with this group of performers.”
Headed by Brian Hofeldt, the Derailers celebrate the sound and styles of Buck Owens, Roy Orbison and even the Beatles, all the while catering to a dancehall crowd.
Other regionally and nationally known acts include San Marcos’ own singer/songwriter Terri Hendrix, Ponty Bone and the Squeezetones, Two Tons of Steel, The United States Air Force Jazz Band Dimensions in Blue and the Austin-based band Jumpstart.
“Jumpstart is a wonderful group made up of eight or nine players with lots of local connections,” Hiebert said. “Mike Murillo (frontman) is a graduate of SOuthwest Texas State. Bruce Wayne, their drummer, is from San Marcos. And singer Joe Pacheco is a graduate of San Marcos High School.”
And for every big name act, there’s plenty of local flavor. The SMART Orchestra, a local group of youth string players, will play at Summer in the Park for the first time. Local country act Klassic Kountry Gold will share a bill with O’Malarkey on July 29.
“They’re country and Celtic, so it’s kind of a strange linkage in one way but I expect it to appeal to a lot of people,” Hiebert said. “It’s important (to include local acts) because it’s our community. I want to give local groups potential for a good audience, and to provide a good professional summer outlet for our citizens.”
In a revised format from previous seasons, the shows will start at 7:30 p.m. with a 20-minute opening act. The main performers for each will take the stage at 8 p.m. Details of individual performances will be included in the San Marcos Daily Record. Summer in the Park concerts are held at the San Marcos Plaza Park stage, with the rain site being the San Marcos Activity Center.
