Stephanie Mlot
Frederick News-Post Staff

(6/3) When George Wireman suggested summer band concerts in the park, he didn't expect to be working on them 22 years later.

In 1987, Wireman, a then-member of the Thurmont Park Commission, proposed to the sitting mayor an idea to make use of Memorial Park by holding Sunday evening concerts.

The idea was approved by the Board of Commissioners, and 21 years later, Wireman retired as Thurmont 's concert coordinator. His duties as coordinator included contacting and booking bands and issuing press releases regarding the concerts and bands' histories.

Since Wireman's retirement, Brian Lynch has taken over as coordinator.

"George has been doing it for a long time," Lynch said. "I worked with him last year and took over organizing it."

"I still keep active and help Brian when needed," Wireman said.

The first concert of the season is scheduled for Sunday, featuring the Emmitsburg Community Chorus.

All concerts begin at 6 p.m. in Memorial Park and last about an hour to an hour and a half, Lynch said. They are free of charge to the public.

Lynch, self-proclaimed "chief cook and bottle washer" of the Parks Commission, said the only tweak to the schedule is a time change during the June 14 Frederick Spires concert. The band will begin playing at 5:30 p.m., and will be followed immediately by a Flag Day decommissioning of flags at 7 p.m.

Sponsored by the Board of Commissioners and the Parks Commission, the concerts gather crowds of as few as 10 and as many as 100, Lynch said. The park usually fills with 50 to 75 people each week.

"It's just a nice way to spend a Sunday evening," said Lynch.