Last Blast of Summer Hits East Granby Saturday

East Granby’s Last Blast of Summer concert is coming up on Saturday outside the town’s senior and community center. It is free to attend and features dance music, food, soft drinks and ice cream, a bounce house, face painting, an antique stagecoach and more.

East Granby Parks and Recreation Commission member Rosalie McKenney organized the event in a short period of time. She said the idea for a town concert sprung from how she’s enjoyed concerts in surrounding towns, including Windsor and Granby.

A number of local businesses and organizations are involved through sponsorships or offering food and fun activities, and McKenney, a committee of one, is grateful for the assistance.

“Almost everybody I called was interested in helping out,” she said.

and are sponsoring the event, while East Granby’s women’s club, land trust and Lions Club will offer ice cream as well as free lemonade for kids, face painting and hamburgers and hot dogs, respectively. The town historical society is bringing an authentic, antique stagecoach as well.

Area band Skyway will perform a variety of covers spanning a broad variety of music, including rhythm and blues, Motown, funk and soul. Visitors can expect covers of The Commodores, Chaka Khan, Earth, Wind and Fire, Rick James and more. McKenney said Skyway as a fun band that provides a good show and, most importantly, gets attendees involved.

“It’s the kind of music that you want to get up and dance to,” McKenney said.

McKenney said she hopes that besides bringing local and area residents together for an enjoyable event at the end of the summer, the Last Blast will also help raise funds for the local organizations that are part of the concert.

Parking specifications are the same as for the Memorial Day parade, McKenney said. Attendees should park at the library, public works building, Allgrove school, post office or center shops. A handicapped drop off point and parking area are available, and local boy scouts will assist visitors that need help reaching the performance area.

Visitors should bring their own blankets and chairs, and are welcome to bring their own food, although alcohol isn’t allowed at the event. The Last Blast will happen rain or shine (although severe weather will put the concert indoors) on Saturday, Aug. 25 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the , 9 Center Street, East Granby.