FARMINGTON – A popular spot for summer concerts, the gazebo in Meetinghouse Park has another use this summer.

A free Qi Gong class will be offered from 12:30 to 1 p.m. every Monday starting June 15 and continuing through August. The Board of Selectmen approved a request Tuesday from Sandy Thomason to hold the class in the Main Street park.

Pronounced chi gong, crane-style Qi Gong is a gentle form of exercise with slow and easy motions like cranes, Thomason said Thursday. She is a licensed acupuncturist who runs Sandy River Acupuncture on Front Street.

Crane-style is one of several Qi Gong exercises from the Chinese. This one puts different motions together and is fun and easy, she said.

Thomason learned the art along with Tai Chi as a requirement while in acupuncture school. She has continued the exercise herself over the past 12 years, performs it most days and has been trained to teach it. It’s similar to yoga but it’s all done standing, which helps improve balance, she said.

“It helps with increased energy, helps me focus and is a good general stretch. It’s better than coffee,” she said.

There is no registration required. The classes are free and people are welcome to just show up and enjoy them, she said.

The board approved another request to use the gazebo from Sonny Holland, who wants to provide musical performances Sunday afternoons from noon to 6 p.m., as he did last year.

His Sunday performances are in addition to performances by the Old Crow Band on Mondays, Seminole Wind/Arizona Rose on Tuesdays, Travis Pinkham on Wednesdays and several one-time concerts scheduled throughout the summer.

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