By Mike Finney

There’s no better entertainment value around — whether it is at the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand, The Green in Dover or at a Delaware state park — than to take in a free summer concert following a long, hot day of swimming, hiking or barbecuing.

And cities and municipalities across Delaware have the First State covered when it comes to providing complimentary music to residents and visitors.

For Corey Groll, helping to provide the beach community with summertime entertainment has been a large part of his life.

Nowadays, it is up to Mr. Groll to book the acts that fill up the seats and benches around the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand from 8-9:15 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout the season.

Popular local band Love Seed Mama Jump will kick off Rehoboth’s 60th concert series Friday night. Still Surfin’, a Beach Boys tribute band, will bring the season to a close Sept. 3.

There will be all sorts of musical treats in between — such as Mike Hines & The Look, The Funsters, military bands, country acts and tribute bands playing Journey, Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond and Janis Joplin-inspired hits — as well as plenty of other genres.

Mr. Groll, a teacher at Cape Henlopen High School, is looking forward to watching all his planning unfold.

“We try to please everybody, and not every group is for everybody,” he said. “But we want to make sure that if you do come out, you know you’re going to get some kind of quality entertainment, and you may end up liking something you didn’t expect to, and that’s exciting for us, too.

“We just want to have people smile and give them about an hour-and-a-half of entertainment for free, then visitors can come in and join in if they like it, or if they don’t, they can shop some of our shops and then find something the next day.”

One encouraging thing for Rehoboth Beach officials has been the willingness of people from all around to travel this summer after being cooped up during the pandemic.

“It’s crazy,” said Mr. Groll. “Everybody’s coming back to normalcy, and we’ve got full crowds, and it seems like everybody’s willing to vacation, and last year was great because we kind of got back to where we wanted to be.

“But we definitely saw a lot of locals because we haven’t seen them in a while, and everybody was still kind of nervous to travel. Now, we’re anticipating a good influx of visitors from other areas, and that’s exciting for us because it really helps bring in why we’re here — to be the area’s best meeting place for so many families up and down the East Coast.”

For Mr. Groll, the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand is almost like a family member.

He has been involved in its operation since he was 14. He worked the sound system for around 16 years and has worked the past 16 seasons booking acts.

“I’m a part-time employee with the city, but it’s a full-time job,” he said, “because everything for the booking takes place in the offseason, and that takes up a lot of my time. But ... I feel like we’ve created something a little magical for everyone — something more than just passerby music.

“It’s something exciting. It’s something to look forward to. It’s something to plan around. And you know, when I get the emails, and I get the phone calls from some of the visitors that said, ‘Hey, when is this band playing because we want to schedule our vacation around them?’ that’s when it starts to mean something a little bit more, and it’s really nice to hear, and it shows the value in what you’re doing.”

Ladybug Festival returns

The third annual Ladybug Music Festival in Milford will be returning July 30, with a rain date of July 31.

The free event, a venture between Downtown Milford Inc. and Wilmington-based Gable Music Ventures, drew an estimated 5,000 attendees downtown in 2019, with many having driven several hours.

Lots of attendees said the inaugural event drew them to Milford for the first time.

“It’s so exciting to be able to continue to celebrate women in music across the state of Delaware,” said Gayle Dillman, co-founder of the Ladybug Music Festival. “The feedback we got from attendees in 2019 was that Milford was such a beautiful and charming location for the event, and we can’t wait to see everyone on July 30.”

Like the inaugural event, this year’s festival will close Walnut Street from Southeast to Northeast Front Street, as well as a large portion of Park Avenue.

The main stage will be on Walnut Street at the intersection of Park Avenue. The Richard Johnson Amphitheater at the Milford Public Library will serve as a secondary outdoor stage.

Live music will be staggered between the main stage and amphitheater venues from 2-9 p.m.

Additionally, several local businesses will be hosting live, family-friendly entertainment during the fest, with adult drinks available for those with proper ID.

There will also be craft vendors and food trucks on hand. Those interested in vending should email ladybug@downtownmilford.org. 

For information about the festival or to volunteer, contact Janne Collins at director@downtownmilford.org.

Smyrna at Night is back

The town of Smyrna and the Smyrna Police Department will be reviving the popular Smyrna at Night free music event June 18 from 10 a.m. until 9:30 p.m.
There will be 18 musical acts on three different stages from noon until 8. Mike Hines & The Look and the Scooter Brown Band will headline the main stage that evening.

Held downtown, Smyrna at Night is typically host to a couple thousand people, musical artists and several vendors.

Smyrna is also rebranding its Summer Concert Series into First Fridays.

Each first Friday of the month, May to September, these shows will be held on South Main Street, usually from 6-8 p.m.

Other events

• The Dover Parks & Recreation Spring & Summer Performing Arts Series on The Green takes place Thursdays at 7 p.m. from June 2 through Sept. 8. Attendees are asked to bring blankets or lawn chairs and to remember social distancing. Parking is available around The Green and on Legislative Mall. In case of inclement weather, call 302-736-7155.
• The Kent County Public Library is back with its Summer Arts in the Park live-performance series at Brecknock County Park in Camden every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. from June 1 to Aug. 10. In the event of inclement weather, the program will be moved inside the library, 497 S. Red Haven Lane, Dover. For weather information, visit the library’s Facebook page or call 302-744-1919 after 4 p.m.
• Georgetown’s Summer Music Series will be held at Sandhill Fields on select Thursdays from 7-9 p.m.
• Lewes’ Stango Park will hold its Summer Concert Series every Tuesday evening at 7 from June 7 to Aug. 23. The rain location will be Cape Henlopen High School. Weather changes will be sent out via email and on Facebook.
• There are also weekly concerts at a number of state parks throughout the spring and summer, including Killens Pond, Holts Landing and Trap Pond. For information, visit here.