Two performances will mark the end of L/A Arts’ Music in the Parks concert series. Tuesday, Aug. 23, the Tinpanic Steel Band, Auburn’s first steel band, will play in the Festival Plaza. Thursday, Aug. 25, Jess Tardy will bring her blend of blues/folk and country songs to the Courthouse Plaza in Lewiston.

Rain dates are the following day at the same time and location.

The steel band sound originated back in the 1930s with cast-off metal containers and evolved into the modern steel band of today. Tinpanic, Maine’s newest steel band, plays the rhythmic sounds of the Caribbean. It was founded in 2002 by a group of enthusiastic Auburn musicians attracted to the mellow sound of steel pans from Trinidad.

Tardy, who’s from Palmyra, started her singing career at age 4; by age 16, she had performed twice at the legendary Montreux Jazz Festival. The singer-songwriter with the strong vocals made her mark in Boston with her first all-original album, “Waiting For You.”

A Harvard graduate, she studied performance-related courses and performed on the Harvard stage.

For more information about Music in the Parks and other L/A Arts events contact L/A Arts at 782-7228 (800) 639-2919) or visit the Web site at www.laarts.org.