The sound of steel pan filled the air as Marcus Steele and Friends kicked off the Marine Park Summer Concert Series, in honor of Caribbean Heritage Month, on Thursday, June 20th.
Everyone looks forward to the annual concerts, which are sponsored by Assemblywoman Jaime Williams and typically held on Wednesday nights; however, “Caribbean Night” was held on a Thursday this year so as not to interfere with Juneteenth celebrations the previous day. This year, there is a full agenda with nine concerts total, running until August 28th, including everything from salsa, classic hits, disco and a Jewish singer to a Christmas Concert in July for kids!
The five-piece band, consisting of Marcus Steele (steel pan/piano and vocals), Don Eaton (percussion), Donald Nicks (bass), Sam Barrios (keyboard) and singer Antonia Dawson (Ilah Medz), entertained the crowd on the first night of summer. Although we were experiencing a heat wave, a cool breeze under shady trees made for a pleasant evening, and when the sun went down, a beautiful almost-full strawberry moon appeared.
If you missed the first concert, be sure to attend “Salsa Night” on Wednesday, June 26th, where Kool Element Latin Jazz Project will be returning for the third year in a row. Rain date is June 27th (UPDATE: Concert has been postponed until Thursday, June 27th at 7 p.m.)
The Marine Park concerts are sponsored by Marine Park Alliance, Kings Plaza and Nick’s Lobster House, among others, in coordination with State Senators Simcha Felder and Roxanne Persaud, and District Leader Frank Seddio, and in partnership with Millennium Development, NYC Parks and the Marine Park Community Association.
All concerts take place on the lawn near the bocce courts at 7 p.m. Bring a blanket, chair and your friends and family! For more information, call 718-252-2124.
