Jimmy Tickey, Nicole Heriot-Mikula and Michael Skrtic, founders of Celebrate Shelton, were all smiles after the Downtown Sounds event last August. The three-week summer concert and food truck series once again enjoyed strong attendance.
Chris Sidoruk. / For Hearst Connecticut MediaWith its fifth summer concern series in the books, Celebrate Shelton organizers cannot be more enthused about the vibrancy it has helped return to downtown Shelton.
The free concerts ran for three consecutive Fridays, finishing up Aug. 2 with a performances from Jen Durkin & the Business and The Big Takeover, and welcomed hundreds of people each week at Veterans Memorial Park to enjoy the musical entertainment and numerous food trucks on hand.
“When we started this concert series five years ago, it was important to us to have it in downtown Shelton,” said Jimmy Tickey, who, along with Michael Skrtic of The Glass Source and Nicole Heriot-Mikula of bringtheHoopla, formed Celebrate Shelton in 2014.
“On the last night of the concert series, a guest came up to our volunteers and said, ‘Thank you for making downtown Shelton vibrant.’ We are thrilled to provide these summer concerts where families can enjoy a fun night out, making downtown Shelton more of a destination for family-friendly activities,” added Tickey.
Celebrate Shelton is a private, citywide initiative that focuses on small businesses and the community which surrounds them, said Tickey, adding that the organization’s goal is to create low- to no-cost events for families with something for everyone — from live music to shopping experiences.
“We want to thank all the families who attended Celebrate Shelton's Downtown Sounds Summer Concerts,” said Heriot-Mikula. “For three weeks, hundreds of families gathered each night to listen to great live music, with an array of food trucks, a beer garden as well as artisan vendors.”
“Thanks to our partnering sponsor Liberty Bank,” added Skrtic, “we were able to give free ice cream provided by Tipsy Cones to the first 500 attendees each week.”
The concerts as always were free. As in the past, Celebrate Shelton’s community partner for Downtown Sounds is Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley.
Downtown Sounds Summer Concerts partnering sponsor was Liberty Bank and was also sponsored by RD Scinto, Valley Community Foundation, city of Shelton, Electri-Cable Assemblies, Mutual Security Credit Union, Griffin Health, D'Addario of Shelton, Inline Plastics, Luxy, Venman & Co., Boy Scouts of America Housatonic Council, Caloroso Eatery, Peoples United Bank, Cohen & Thomas, DSA Companies, Peralta Design,and Curtiss Ryan Honda of Shelton.
Celebrate Shelton’s next event will be Food Trucks on the River on Sept 13 from 4 to 8 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park. The event will feature more than 25 food trucks.
Celebrate Shelton events also include Mamas & Mimosas, as well as a community tree lighting during the holiday season.
To learn more, go to www.celebrateshelton.com.
brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com