AUBURN – The Auburn Community Band, under the direction of Milt Simon, will kick off its annual summer series of weekly outdoor evening concerts at Festival Plaza in downtown Auburn on Wednesday, June 18.

The 7 p.m. performance is the first of 11 programs scheduled this summer at the Main Street location. The free concerts will continue weekly on Wednesdays through Aug. 27, weather permitting. Free parking is available in the parking garage across the street from the plaza.

This year marks the 27th season for band conductor Milt Simon.

Simon first organized 15 individuals in the fall of 1981 to form the Auburn Community Band. This season, the group numbers 46 volunteer musicians who range in age from 13 to 83 and together represent a total of 16 central and southern Maine communities.

Simon said the organization “gives many individuals a chance to utilize musical talents neglected since their high school days, and the entire community benefits.” He added that the Auburn group “is one of the larger community bands in the state of Maine, and commonly attracts an average of 400 people to its weekly concerts.”

The June 18 performance will feature many new songs the band added to its repertoire during the past winter’s rehearsals, including songs from the movie “Pirates of the Caribbean,” selections from the musical “Oliver,” and a medley of hit tunes made popular by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons which are now performing in the Broadway show “Jersey Boys.” Also listed in the opening night program are several marches and some audience favorites from the band’s past 26 seasons.

The band will present a different musical theme and selection of songs every Wednesday. The entire concert program scheduled for this summer is as follows:

June 18: “March into Summer.”

June 25: “American Classics,” featuring music by Hoagy Carmichael and Willie Nelson, and selections from the “Wizard of Oz” and “My Fair Lady.”

July 2: “An Evening of Patriotic Music.”

July 9: “Music Heard Around the World,” featuring Brazilian, European, Latin and Spanish selections.

July 16: “Songs by Famous Composers,” including Leonard Bernstein, Cole Porter, John Williams and John Phillip Sousa.

July 23: “Forgotten But Unforgettable,” an evening of music nostalgia.

July 30: “It’s Show Time,” featuring memorable tunes from Broadway and the big screen.

Aug. 6: “Big Band and Dance Music” will include great big band songs, Motown hits and some rock and roll.

Aug. 13: “Famous Groups and People,” featuring songs by Elvis and Elton John and such groups as the Beatles and the Beach Boys.

Aug. 20: “Take Two,” an opportunity to make up of any of the summer’s concerts that were canceled due to inclement weather.

Aug. 27: “The Auburn Community Band’s Greatest Hits,” featuring some of the community band’s best-known and most requested songs from the past 26 seasons.

People planning to attend a performance should bring their own lawn chairs and arrive at Festival Plaza well before the 7 p.m. concert start time.

For more information, call the APRD at 333-6601, ext. 2108, or visit the band’s Web site at www.auburncommunityband.org.