Rose Tree Park's Annual Summer Festival Kicks Off

There really is something for everyone at the Delaware County Summer Festival in Rose Tree Park. Media's own 120-acre park will be the setting for this massive concert series, which runs for the next nine weeks. Wednesday through Sunday evenings will be filled with the sound of an amazing variety of musical and dance acts.

Shows normally begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be held in the amphitheatre of the park. On Wednesday, June 29 and Thursday, July 14 there will be 10 a.m. shows for children. There is plenty of green grass to relax on so bring a blanket or chairs. A concession stand will be open during the performances, but audience members are free to bring their own picnic basket. As always, alcoholic beverages are not allowed in the park or the concert series.

The music throughout the show features some great local bands that perform traditional marches and classic big band songs like The West Chester Band and The Chester County Band. There are also a few bands that focus on entertaining the whole family like Wynnewood's own The Cat's Pajama's. Also, for those who like to rock, there are some great cover bands bringing the favorite hits from artists like Jimmy Buffet, Johnny Cash, Bob Seger, Neil Diamond, and Journey. If you missed out on getting U2 tickets for their July 14 show, Beautiful Day (a U2 tribute band) will fill the void on Friday July15. For those into more classical styles of music, members of the Main Line Opera's Guild will perform on Thursday, July 21 and the Brandywine Ballet will appear Friday, July 29.

This Wednesday kicks off the festival with Rose Tree Pops, which is a 50-member orchestra and will be playing a mix of big band, film scores, and even a few pop songs. This Thursday will be a tri-state favorite, The Greaseband, who will celebrate the last five decades of fun music.

This Friday night will feature the  winners of The Philadelphia Songwriters competition. Dena Marchiony, of the Philadelphia Songwriters, is very excited to bring back their program to the Delaware County Summer Festival. The winners of the competition basically win a tour that has been set up by the organization. This Friday's program will feature Ginger Coyle, Katie Barbato, Christopher "Griz" Grunwald, and Reed Kendall. The music is very new, original, but keeps a modern pop/rock vibe.

"They love it because they are playing to an audience that they might not have otherwise played so they are getting new fans," said Marchinoy.

Be the first to hear these emerging musicians by coming out this Friday night and come out every night to see something different and hear something great. It is great entertaining and free alternative to fighting shore traffic.

Click here for the whole schedule of events.