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Concertgoers can arrive by land, sea and bicycle trail as Freeport hosts another summer of monthly musical performances at Riverside Drive Park.

Soul Raydio kicks it off at 7 p.m. June 9. Murphy's Music Center Big Band, an Alle-Kiski Valley institution, follows July 14, and Makin' Changes bookends the series Aug. 11.

To me, it is the most amazing experience to relax along the Allegheny River and listen to great musicians performing in our vintage gazebo, says Mary Bowlin, secretary of the organizing Freeport Renaissance Association. There is plenty of room. It is not crowded or congested. The Freeport Community Boat Dock has been placed in the river so it is ready to welcome recreational watercraft of all sizes to enjoy the entertainment. Free docking and free entertainment in Freeport ... it doesn't get any better!

Cyclists on the Butler-Freeport Trail can just make the ride across the Freeport Veterans Bridge and head to the river to enjoy the concerts.

The atmosphere is relaxing. It is a wonderful place to wind down at the end of the week, Bowlin says. The gazebo was built in 1999 to house entertainment and so we are very proud to be continuing in line with that mission.

Soul Raydio drummer Coley Ward says his New Kensington-Pittsburgh group enjoyed playing Freeport's September by the River festival last fall and is looking forward to performing by the river again this summer.

Music lovers are in for a treat, says Lou Downard, who books the bands for the annual Rockin' Roosevelt and Band Blast concerts in Arnold and New Kensington, respectively.

They're a very high energy funk/soul band, he says. They have played at several blues competitions in Memphis the past several years. ... They've played the past three Rockin' Roosevelt concerts and all three of the Band Blast Memorial Park concerts and I've booked them for the next Band Blast, Sept. 24.

Husband and wife Pete and Donna Little make their way to Freeport for the first time to perform as Makin' Changes, leading a five-piece band from northern Pennsylvania that they started 11 years ago and plays '60s rock and oldies.

The Murphy's Music Center Big Band is pleased to return to be part of the programs, says Jim Caporali, owner of the Leechburg music store.

While this band began as a fun hobby for its members, it has grown into a great opportunity to share music which has a rich history from a bygone era. It is our pleasure to perform this music in the way it was originally intended to be heard: live and in person, he says.

The 17-plus musicians and vocalists offer Count Basie, Woody Herman, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and other sounds of that era.

While our core audience tends to be people who grew up listening to this style, we see quite a few younger people in attendance, many of whom have never been exposed to this music. It makes us smile to see new generation enjoy the sounds of Sinatra, Martin and many others, says Caporali.

The current iteration of the band is 14 years old, however, the history of the big band associated with Murphy's Music goes back to the early 1950s, primarily in the form of the Johnny Murphy Orchestra.

We look forward to folks visiting our town for the very first time and then returning again and again to shop, dine or just relax along the river, Bowlin says.

Rex Rutkoski is a Tribune-Review contributing writer.

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It's music down by the river side in Freeport this summer - Tribune-Review