AUBURN — The Auburn Community Concert Band, under the direction of Milt Simon, will kick off its summer series of weekly, outdoor evening concerts at Festival Plaza on Wednesday, June 13.

The 7 p.m. performance is the first of 11 scheduledat the downtown Main Street site. The free concerts will continue weekly on Wednesdays through Aug. 22, weather-permitting. If inclement weather is forecast, the band will move indoors to the ballroom at the Hilton Garden Inn Auburn Riverwatch at Great Falls Plaza.

This year marks the group’s 31st summer season. The 46 volunteer musicians participating range in age from 17 to 86 and are residents of 17 central, southern and coastal Maine communities.

The community concert band “gives many individuals a chance to utilize musical talents neglected since their high-school days, and the entire community benefits,” Milton said. He added that the Auburn group “is one of the larger community bands in the state of Maine and commonly attracts 300 to 400 people to its weekly concerts.”

The June 13 opening-night performance will feature many new contemporary songs added to the band’s repertoire during the  winter rehearsal season, including musicby such entertainers as Michael Jackson, Michael Buble and the Mamas & the Papas. There will also be a medley of well-known themes from several Hollywood movie blockbusters.

Throughout the next two months, the band will present a different musical theme and selection of songs every Wednesday evening. Attendees should bring a lawn chair and are advised to arrive at Festival Plaza well before the concert. Free parking is available in the parking garage across from the plaza.

Weekly concert schedule:

June 13: “Spring into Summer,” featuring many new songs added to the band’s repertoire during winter rehearsals

June 20: “Around The World in 80 Minutes,” featuring Brazilian, European, Latin and Spanish themes from well-known musicals, movies and TV shows

June 27: “American Music Classics,” featuring songs from the “Wizard of Oz,” “Phantom of the Opera” and “My Fair Lady” along with tunes by Leroy Anderson, Rogers & Hammerstein and Frank Sinatra

July 4: “An Evening of Patriotic Music,” featuring spirited marches and patriotic songs, including a salute to each branch of the nation’s Armed Forces

July 11 : “Let’s Dance,” featuring five decades of dancing music, including big band, Motown and rock ‘n’ roll

July 18 : “Forgotten But Unforgettable,” an evening of music nostalgia under the stars

July 25 : “The Music of Famous Musicians,” featuring hit songs by Neil Diamond, Ray Charles, Elton John, Phil Collins, Elvis and others

Aug. 1 : “It’s Showtime,” featuring a collection of memorable tunes from Broadway and the big screen

Aug. 8: “Songs of Sensational Groups,” featuring tunes by Earth, Wind & Fire, The Doors, The Beatles, Chicago and The Four Seasons

Aug. 15 : “Take Two,” an opportunity to hear highlights from the band’s previous nine concerts

Aug. 22 : “The Auburn Community Concert Band’s Greatest Hits,” featuring some of the community band’s best-known and most requested songs from its past 30 seasons

Preconcert performances:

Starting in mid-July, preconcert entertainment will be offered each week at the plaza, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., weather-permitting. Performers include the Bates Dance Festival Young Dancers Workshop, July 11; Chicks With Sticks, July 18; the Ruth Burke trio, July 25; the Shannon Selig trio, Aug. 1; the 195th Army Band Quintet, Aug. 8; and guitar/vocalist Nick Racioppi, Aug. 15.

For more information, call the Auburn Parks and Recreation Department at 333-6601, ext. 2108, or visit www.auburncommunityband.com.

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