ELIZABETHTOWN — From Alive At Five events to private parties and weddings, the Blackwater Rhythm & Blues Band has a summer chock full of affairs in locations from Virginia to South Carolina. On Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m., the Clarkton-based band is returning to their home county to entertain folks for the final installment of the Summer Sounds Concert Series at the Cape Fear Farmer’s Market.
The nine-member band will be bringing their own version of predominantly beach music, along with some blues and some funk, including songs like Carolina Girls, Uptown Funk, Brick House, and My Girl. Last year, their song Dance Tonight was No. 1 in the Carolinas, No. 5 in New York, and No. 7 in Dallas.
“We’re very excited,” said Elizabethtown-White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce President Tiina Mundy. “They’re a local band, and people enjoy hearing them.”
The group played at last year’s Summer Sounds series finale and drew upwards of 500 people. While the crowds for this year’s concert series haven’t been what they were the inaugural year thanks in part to the sweltering temperatures — the lowest temperature being in the low 90s and the first concert’s temperatures hovering around 100 degrees — the weather for Thursday, at this point, seems to be cooperating. Thursday’s expected high of 89 degrees and a low temperature in the upper 60s forecast for both Wednesday night and Thursday night mean the possibility exists for comfortable conditions Thursday evening.
That, along with the beach music, is exactly what some guests have been waiting for to take to the dance floor.
“I like to shag, and for that, beach music is best,” said one attendee who attended concerts two and three and said she was looking forward to Blackwater Rhythm & Blues.
“I’ve seen them, and I enjoyed them immensely,” said Mundy. “They have very high energy.”
She added, “We’ve had great feedback from the first three concerts, and this promises to be another good one.”
The concert is the final of a four-part series sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, Cape Fear Valley-Bladen Healthcare, and numerous gold, silver and bronze sponsors.
Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs and umbrellas or pop-up tents, but are asked to leave coolers at home. Lu Mil Vineyard will have muscadine wine and slushies available, Sunset Slush will be selling their own concoctions, and beer and water will also be available for purchase.
The Chamber will have Summer Sounds T-shirts for sale, and folks interested in making it a dinner-and-concert evening can take advantage of Cape Fear BBQ & Chicken’s walk-up site.
Chrysta Carroll can be reached by calling 910-862-4163.