Downtown Dancing Rabbit concerts starting Saturday night

May 6—Members of a group putting together a series of free concerts in McAlester are ready to get things hopping with the inaugural event this weekend in Downtown McAlester.

Called the Dancing Rabbit Music Festival, the shows feature a series of outdoor concerts by renowned Americana and indie-roots artists.

It kicks off Saturday, May 8, with Charlie Parr, who has a following ranging from the U.S. to Australia. Opening artist Jake Simpson is set to begin the show at 7 p.m., followed by Parr at 8:30 p.m.

Everything is in the process of being readied for the first concert, with volunteers adding some final touches

"We've got the tents going up on Friday," said Blake Lynch, one of the event organizers. The stage will be in the street at the corner of Third Street and Choctaw Avenue, he said.

Food trucks will be parked in the parking lot of the Icehouse building at Fifth Street and Choctaw Avenue.

"We've got six food trucks," Lynch said. A beer tent will be set up by Prairie Ales and beverages will also be available at Downtown 312 and Spaceship Earth, Lynch said.

"The congregation tent will be in the Ice House parking lot," Lynch said, referring to a tented area where people can congregate if they wish.

Following the opening concert this weekend, more are scheduled for June and July.

Next is the June 12 concert, featuring John Fullbright and Stephen Speaks, both of Oklahoma. The Grammy-nominated Fullbright is from Okemah, which is also the home of Woody Guthrie.

Band of Heathens, a Texas band with a devoted following, headlines the July 3 show, with Josh Hass the opening artist. Dancing Rabbit Music Festival organizers are predicting it will be one of the biggest in the series.

While the concerts are free, there will be plenty of food, drink and merchandise available to buy, Lynch said.

The concert series came about after a group of individuals got together through their common love of music.

Lynch, of the Wagner and Lynch law firm, got together with Hass, of Hass Insurance; Adam Gronwald, of Spaceship Earth; Kyle Spruce, of Wav 11 and local musician Joey Clark.

They started planning the nonprofit shows while meeting over coffee at Gronwald's Spaceship Earth and were able to find enough sponsors to make the concerts free events.

Lynch thinks people in the McAlester area will connect with Parr, who not only sings and plays several instruments, but typically weaves stories about his songs throughout his performance.

"I think it will be a great experience," said Lynch.

Contact James Beaty at jbeaty@mcalesternews.com.