ST. CHARLES, MD.— The Sunset Concert Festival and Farmers’ Market will celebrate kick off its 2011 series of performances on Friday, April 15 at The Wharf at O’Donnell Lake in St. Charles.
“2011 is going to be the best year yet for the concert festival,” said Craig Renner, vice president of community relations for The St. Charles Companies. “We have a lot of great local bands who are returning, and we have a number of excellent performers making their first appearance at the festival. Week in and week out, people will enjoy hearing a great band at the Sunset Concert Festival.”
Local singer and songwriter Lynn Hollyfield will perform April 15. Her debut album, Layers, was released in 2010, and she received 4 WAMMIE Nominations
(Washington Area Music Association Awards) for best contemporary folk female vocalist, best contemporary folk recording, best debut recording, and songwriter of the year. Check out her work at http://lynnhollyfield.com/index.html
Highlights over the course the summer include two concerts by the U.S Navy bands Cruisers, on May 6, and Country Current, on July 1, kicking off the Independence Day weekend. Local favorites Sam Grow, the Port Tobacco Pickers, the Wise Guys Acoustic Trio, the Blarney Stones, and Sin Miedo are also scheduled to perform.
The St. Charles Sunset Concert Festival and Farmers Market will be held every Friday through Labor Day weekend. The farmer’s market, featuring locally-grown produce from farmers around Southern Maryland, is open every Friday from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Every third Friday of the month will be local artists’ night, during which the art and crafts of artists from throughout Southern Maryland will be available for purchase. Concerts begin at 7 p.m. O’Donnell Lake which is at the intersection of St. Patrick’s Drive and Smallwood Drive in St. Charles, and includes Boston’s restaurant, the Hilton Garden Inn, the Apartments of St. Charles, and the Studio Cooperative.
The St. Charles Sunset Concert Festival is a summer-long arts festival sponsored by Saint Charles, the Charles County Arts Alliance, and the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission. Featuring a variety of local artists and musical genres, the concerts are being held every Friday night beginning at 7 p.m. through Labor Day weekend.
For more information, including the entire list of bands, visit us on Facebook by searching St. Charles, Maryland.
Bands perform in the promenade area of the boardwalk, which is in the center of the property. Plenty of free parking is available, and concert goers are encouraged to bring blankets or chairs for seating. Coolers are permitted, but alcohol and glass containers are not permitted. Concerts will end at dusk, and all performances are free and open to the public. The O’Donnell Lake Restaurant Park is located at the intersections of St. Patrick’s Drive and Smallwood Drive West in St. Charles, across from the movie theater and the Saint Charles Towne Center.
For more information call Craig Renner at 301-843-8600, ext. 5211 or via email at Crenner@stcharlesmd.co
Directions: From Route 301, turn onto Smallwood Drive West. Go through two lights, and O’Donnell Lake will be on your right, just past Sears Automotive. For directions using internet-based map programs, use the address 10440 O’Donnell Place.
