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Beginning this month, East Jordan will present a new program of free Friday night concerts at the band shell in Memorial Park. The result of a joint effort of a committee formed with members from the East Jordan Chamber of Commerce, Jordan River Arts Council and the Downtown Development Authority, the concerts will showcase a variety of musical talent including the Mickeys, Tricky Short Root, Solutions, Michelle Chenard and more. Singer/songwriter Brett Mitchell will kick off the series on June 2 with a two-hour set beginning at 8 p.m. DDA board member Mark Penzien talked about how the pieces fell into place.

"It really kind of morphed," Penzien said. "We have the band shell and we wanted to utilize the park for family recreation during the summer. There was a lot of excitement and community support for something like this. The three towns - the trio on Lake Charlevoix of East Jordan, Boyne City and Charlevoix - are the springboard for cultural activities in the area. Individually we have great towns. Collectively it's a wonderful place to live.

"Funding for the program is received through donations from individuals and local business owners." Penzien explained, "The goal of the program is to provide entertainment, bring people in and support the community."

The series offers a diverse musical spectrum including local musicians. Identical twin sisters, Amy Sherman and Julie Peebles (professionally billed as The Mickeys) are northern Michigan girls who migrated to Nashville to further their burgeoning music career. They are working on their second CD to be released this fall and will be returning to East Jordan on Aug. 3 as part of the summer lineup.