Debbie and Friends Opens Watertown Summer Concert Series

Families looking for something fun to do this Thursday can bring a picnic dinner to Saltonstall Park in Watertown Square and enjoy the toe tap’n tunes of Debbie and Friends. The performance led by children’s entertainer Debbie Cavalier is the first in a series of Thursday evening concerts to be held in the park this summer.

“Debbie and Friends came onto the children's music scene a few years ago with original, upbeat songs that promote positive messages,” says Arlene Smith, coordinator of the Watertown Family Network, the organization sponsoring this performance. “She is genuine in her love for children and that love flows through all of her songs. I service preschool age children and younger, so the audience is largely made up of that age child. But the appeal is there for the early elementary school age.”

According to Smith, hundreds of families came out when Debbie performed last year and she expects the same results this year. “Many of the families will know each other and, therefore, it is like the whole town coming together to celebrate families and good wholesome entertainment,” she says.  

Following the June 28 performance, the summer concerts continue weekly on Thursday nights from July 12 through August 9.  The schedule is as follows:

• July 12:  Bombay Jim and the Swinging Sapphires
• July 19:  Billy Novick and Shades of Swing
• July 26:  Phil Wilson’s Berklee Rainbow Band
• August 2: Made in the Shade
• August 9: Eight to the Bar

All concerts will be held at Saltonstall Park from 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.  In case of rain, the performances will move to the Watertown Public Library (except for Debbie and Friends, which will move to Watertown Middle School if it rains).

The Watertown Summer Concerts are sponsored by the Town of Watertown, and draw people of all ages throughout  the community. According to Eileen Hsu-Balzer, the series coordinator, the concerts make the town come alive.

“On a gentle summer evening,” she says, “a kind of spontaneous village springs up. Around 6:15 you hear the car doors slamming, and the parade of people with lawn chairs and picnics starts filling up Saltonstall Park. The kids run around in front of the bandstand, adults sometimes dance on the sidewalk that runs through the back of the park, and neighbors and friends check in with each other. Yet, fifteen minutes after the concert ends, the park returns to silence, the lawn is empty, and you could almost believe the concert had been a mirage.”

Thursday’s performance by Debbie and Friends begins at 6:30 p.m. In case of inclement weather, this concert will be held at the Watertown Middle School.  For more information, visit the town’s website.