Music returns to the Lodge at Allardale

GRANGER TWP. — The Music at the Lodge concert series kicked off its season with a performance by Hip to That on Sunday at the Lodge at Allardale. The concert series is hosted by the Medina County Park District once a month through September. "Music at the Lodge is a concert series here at the Lodge at Allardale," MCPD naturalist Natalie Dubiel said. "We try whenever possible to have it outdoors when the weather cooperates. We think it is a great venue for outdoor enjoyment, but in the event that it does not cooperate, it has great acoustics and it is a great indoor space as well." Dubiel said the park district likes to bring people to experience what the lodge and the park that houses the lodge have to offer during public programs. She said they love to have the opportunity to share arts and culture with people, while still including aspects of nature that are typical of park district programming. The first concert of the series was performed by Hip to That, a Cleveland-based jazz duo of Maria DiDonato and Andrew Karkosiak who specialize in songs from the Great American Songbook, jazz standards and pop songs with a jazzy twist. Each concert in the series is held at the Lodge at Allardale, 141 Remsen Road, from 2-3 p.m. The next concerts are: Sunday, July 13 - Circle of Friends, a rock and folk band that performs on acoustic guitar, stand-up bass, percussion and keyboard. The band celebrates relationships with the natural world through songs and stories. Sunday, Aug. 10 – Morning Star Bluegrass Band will play bluegrass, gospel and Americana music in a style similar to the Bluegrass sounds of the 1930s and 1940s. The concert series' fourth concert will be announced in the coming months. Dubiel said the park district is glad to have returning musicians for this year's series and to still be able to offer the concert series through the support of the Friends of Medina County Parks. For more information on the park district and its programs, visit www.medinacountyparks.com. Contact reporter Patrick Rhonemus at (330) 721–4050 or prhonemus@medina-gazette.com.