The popular Washington College Riverfront Concert Series, hosted by the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, returns for a third year with a stellar lineup of free Thursday evening concerts on the riverfront lawn of the Custom House. The series will kick off June 27 with contemporary and traditional folk music from Teresa Whitaker & Frank Schwartz with acoustic guitar wizard Mac Walter, and continues on July 11 as The Hula Monsters perform their eclectic mix of swing, rockabilly, Hawaiian, blues, and traditional country/honky tonk tunes. The series concludes on July 25 with Jennifer Cutting’s celtic, folk and folk-rock ensemble OCEAN Quartet featuring vocalist Lisa Moscatiello. All three events will begin at 6:30 p.m. behind the Custom House, corner of High and Water streets in downtown Chestertown. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own blankets, lawn chairs and picnic dinners. Lemonade and cookies will be provided free of charge. In case of inclement weather, the concerts will take place in The Egg, a performance space in Hodson Hall Commons on the main Washington College campus. Launched by the Starr Center in 2010, the Riverfront Concert Series builds on the Center’s longstanding interest in the musical traditions of the Chesapeake Bay and its rich heritage of storytelling. The series host is the Starr Center’s program manager, Michael Buckley, whose weekly radio program on Annapolis-based WRNR, 103.1 FM (Sundays, 7 to 10 a.m. www.wrnr.com) includes the widely acclaimed interview series “Voices of the Chesapeake Bay.” Special assistance for the Washington College Riverfront Concert Series is provided by Yerkes Construction Company, the Kent County Arts Council, with additional support from the Maryland State Arts Council. 

“We were happy that last summer’s concerts drew such an enthusiastic response from the community,” says Adam Goodheart, Hodson Trust-Griswold Director of the Starr Center. “We’re delighted to be able to expand the series this year, to include a music and dance performances, and provide more opportunities for our friends and neighbors to enjoy great concert events here on the beautiful Chester River waterfront.”