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View from the rear of the stage during the Summer Music Series to celebrate the Woodstock's 50th Anniversary at the Long's Park in Lancaster on Saturday, August 17, 2019.

Nearly two years after the last in-person concert of the Long's Park Summer Music Series closed out the season, the beloved series will return to Lancaster County on Sunday, July 11 with a full lineup of musical acts to provide free entertainment in the park for eight weeks this summer.

Notable names this year include songwriter Paul Thorn, blues rocker Maggie Rose and the Kenny Rogers Band, made up of Rogers' former tour and studio band. Local talent will come in the form of an end of season tribute to Live Aid, headed up by Phil Kresge.

The season will feature eight concerts as opposed to the regular 13.

In the leadup to the 2020 season, COVID-19 forced the Long's Park Amphitheater Foundation to rethink how the concerts were presented, which included everything from virtual performances to live sessions performed on the amphitheater stage in front of no audience. 

"The concerts were well-received, but it's not live music, and it got to the point where everyone was doing it," says Brad Zuke, chairperson of the Summer Music Series.

Zuke, as well as Long's Park Amphitheater Foundation president David Wauls, say that they expect CDC guidelines to allow concerts to return without changing capacity or requiring specific seating on the lawn. For potential artist meet & greets, distancing rules will apply.

"From our view, we know that people in Lancaster County respect one another and want to have good live music, so we're depending on our local citizens that come to our concerts to respect each other's space and also their views on whatever protocols are in place at that time," says Wauls.

Read below for the full list. For more on the Long’s Park Summer Music Series, go to lanc.news/LongsPark2021 

July 11, 2021 - Bakithi Kumalo and the Graceland All Stars

Legendary bassist Bakithi Kumalo reunites with several other musicians from Paul Simon's groundbreaking 1986 album "Graceland" to perform well-known favorites.

July 18, 2021-Maggie Rose

Blues singer Maggie Rose will be on hand to perform songs from her upcoming album, "Have a Seat" with her five-piece band.

July 25, 2021-Thornetta Davis

Lancaster County is no stranger to the "Detroit's Queen of the Blues" thanks in part to past appearances at Lancaster Roots & Blues Festival. After submitting a special live video for 2020's virtual season, Davis will be live and in person on the amphitheater stage.

August 1, 2021 - Big Takeover

Bringing together all the central tenets of Jamaican pop - reggae, rocksteady and ska chief among them - it will be difficult not to sway in your camping chair to the fun sounds of Big Takeover.

August 8, 2021 - Paul Thorn

Just over a decade after he last graced the amphitheater stage, singer-songwriter Paul Thorn returns to the Summer Music Series to deliver his brand of bluesy country rock.

August 15, 2021 - Vanessa Collier

After winning back to back "Horn Player of the Year" awards at the 2019 and 2020 Blues Music Awards, Vanessa Collier will showcase her saxophone skills for the Long's Park crowd.

August 22, 2021 - Kenny Rogers Band

For over four decades, musicians such as Rick Harper, Edgar Struble and others served as legendary country artist Kenny Rogers' backing band. After Rogers' death, the band decided to soldier on to deliver those same hits to a new generation.

August 29, 2021 - Live Aid Tribute

Following in the tradition of the Woodstock anniversary concert in 2019, Phil Kresge will unite several local musicians to pay tribute to Live Aid.

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