GE Family Concert Series kicking off Friday in Minden

The Douglas County Parks & Recreation Department is getting ready for its 2015 GE Family Concert Series, which invites families to spend an evening of music at Minden Park.

The series is kicking off Friday with Garratt Wilkin and the Parrotheads, whose performance is co-sponsored by Starbucks Carson Valley Roasting Plant & Distribution Center.

The band hails from Placerville, Calif., but it performs throughout the Western United States, including in Alaska and Hawaii, and as far away as Florida, Texas, Vermont, Delaware, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Tennessee. Garratt and his band have been billed as the No. 1 Jimmy Buffett tribute band.

Concerts start at 6:30 p.m. and end at 8:30, with the exception of the event on Aug. 28, which is going to start at 6 p.m and end at 8. Concerts are free of charge due to contributions from local businesses and organizations.

Fifth Street will be closed during the events to allow motor homes parking and concessions. RV parking will be allowed in a designated area only starting at 9 a.m. on the day of the concerts; an RV pass, available by calling 775-782-5500, ext. 1, is required.

RV parking at other locations around the park obscures the line of sight for Minden homeowners around the park.

No lawn space can be reserved or sectioned off until 7 a.m. on the day of the concert, when reserved sections can be no larger than 10 feet by 10 feet each. Blankets are not permitted on the lawn until after 5 p.m. on the day of the event, as blankets left out for the day can damage the grass.

Concessions sponsored by Kiwanis Club of Carson Valley and Tahoe/Douglas Elks Lodge No. 2670 will be available for purchase.

Upcoming concerts include: Steelin’ Dan, music of Steely Dan, on June 26; Imagine, music by the Beatles, on July 17; Mumbo Gumbo on Aug. 7; and Shane Dwight on Aug. 28. Austinpalooza, a fundraising concert for Austin’s House that features local bands, will follow the series on Sept. 11 at TJ’s Corral at the Carson Valley Inn.

For more information, call the Douglas County Parks & Recreation Department at 775-782-5500, ext. 1.