Inclusion Concerts Return to New Town for 2011

By WYDaily Staff Sunday, April 10, 2011

This summer's fundraising concert series for Inclusion will return to the place it started eight years ago: New Town.

Inclusion founder Steve Rose, who makes a living as the owner of Williamsburg Event Rentals, was trying to find a way to get more reliable and robust attendance at the weekly Friday night series. The modest entry fee raises funds for programs that inform, involve and inspire disadvantaged kids in the community.

The series began in New Town as the After Hours Concert Series, and quickly became a hit with families. As the attendance grew, the Inclusion board decided to move the series to the newly renovated Lake Matoaka Amphitheater.

"After several years in that beautiful location, we still struggle to get a consistent attendance," the group said in a press release. "So this year in partnership with James City County and New Town Associates we have decided to return to New Town.  With their help promoting the concert series as a true community event and the convenience of the New Town location, we are very excited about this year's series."

There's another change in store for the series: It will be held on Thursdays instead of Friday nights. The 10-week serieskicks off Thursday, June 23, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at Sullivan Square, 4301 New Town Avenue, which is behind Legacy Hall.

Admission is $7 for adults, with children 16 and under free. The concerts will have food and drink available for purchase.

The series was put on hiatus in 2009 for a retooling and returned to Matoaka on Fridays in 2010.

This year's series will likely get competition from the Yorktown Shagging on the Riverwalk series, which is free. That series has also moved to Thursday nights because its popularity had overwhelmed the residential area, county officials said.

The Yorktown series begins June 16 and continues through the end of June, then takes a brief break and resumes July 21 through August 11. The lineup has not been announced.

The New Town After Hours series features some of the old crowd-drawing favorites along with a few new acts. More information will be available soon on the New Town After Hours website, which is currently under construction.

Here is the schedule:

June 23 Slapwater
June 30 The English Channel
July 7 Snackbar Jones
July 14 Butter
July 21 Cheap Thrills
July 28 No Reverse opening for Rich Whiskey
August 4 The Deloreans
August 11 Julius Pittman & Revival
August 18 Crazy X
August 25 Party Fins