OXFORD — The Anderson-Staples American Legion Post 112 will host a free concert at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6, at Oxford’s Veterans Memorial Park at Route 121 and Skeetfield Road.

According to resident Eleanor Heidrich, the Oxford American Legion started hosting the summer concerts 21 years ago, after her late husband, Ted Heidrich, came up with the idea.

“My husband was the one who came up with the idea to invite bands to play at the Oxford Veterans’ Memorial Park,” Heidrich said Thursday afternoon. “The park itself was built using money that residents and Legion members donated to us, and we’ve been holding a series of concerts during the summer ever since.”

Heidrich said she booked the Maine Highland Fiddlers to play the Aug. 6 concert, which will be “the fourth concert we’ve held so far this summer.”

“We have a pretty good following right now,” Heidrich said. “We always invite people to bring their own chairs and refreshments. We’ll have our own refreshments to offer people. Some people even bring their own dogs.”

The concert is free to the public, though Heidrich said that sometimes a basket is passed around for donations to to toward a concert fund.

However, Heidrich clarified that the summer concerts have “never been about the money.”

“For us, the concerts have always been about giving back to the residents,” Heidrich said. “It’s a great community event for people to attend.”

Though she and her late husband were responsible for booking bands and organizing the event for the past 21 years, Heidrich said that the Aug. 6 concert will be her final one.

“The day after the concert is finished, I’m heading to Europe for a family reunion thing,” Heidrich said. “I guess I still have a little bit of energy, but this upcoming concert will be the last one I help book. The next commander of the Legion will be setting it up from now on.”

For more information, call 539-4102.

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