AUBURN — The Auburn Community Concert 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 22.

The 7 p.m. performance is the first of 10 programs scheduled for this Main Street location. The free concerts will continue weekly on Wednesday evenings through Aug. 24, weather permitting. If inclement weather is forecasted, the band will move its performance indoors that week, to the Franco Center, located on Cedar Street in Lewiston.

This year marks the 35th anniversary since band conductor Milt Simon first organized this musical group. The 40 volunteer musicians participating this summer range in age from 16 to 90, and together represent a total of 16 Maine communities.

The organization “gives many individuals a chance to utilize musical talents neglected since their high school days, and the entire community benefits,” Simon asid. 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.”

Throughout the next two months, the band will present a different musical theme every Wednesday evening, featuring well-known songs from the ’40s to the present, popular to young and old, and every generation in between. People planning to attend any of the performances should bring their own lawn chair on which to sit, and are advised to arrive at Festival Plaza well before the 7 p.m. concert start time, as large audiences are again expected this summer. Ample free parking is available in the parking garage located across the street from the Plaza.

For more information, visit the band’s web site www.auburncommunityband.com.

The programs for this summer’s concert series are:

June 22: “Forgotten But Unforgettable,” an evening of music nostalgia under the stars. 

June 29: “Songs that Bridge Generations,” showcasing song from theatrical shows and movies

July 6: “An Evening of Patriotic Music”

July 13: “Let’s Dance,” featuring five decades of dancing music

July 20: “American Idols,” including songs from the Beatles, Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Michael Buble

July 27: “It’s Showtime!,” showcasing themes from popular movies, Broadway and TV shows

Aug. 3: “The Voice,” featuring hit songs by Elton John, Ray Charles, Whitney Houston, and Paul Simon

Aug.10: “Legends of Rock,” featuring still-popular tunes by Kansas, the Doors, Journey, and Queen

Aug. 17: “Gone Too Soon,” remembering such stars as Michael Jackson, James Brown, and Elvis

Aug. 24: “ACCB’s Greatest Hits,” featuring some of the band’s favorite songs from the past 34 seasons.

The members of this summer’s concert band are:

Flute: Barbara Jabaut, Carrie Palmer, Kellie Pelletier and River Stickney.

Clarinet: Rebecca Lazure, Denise Leavitt, Dorothy LeClair, Emily McCarthy, Rick Rau, Louise Theberge, and Patricia Varney

Bassoon: Casey Arsenault

Alto saxaphones: Mary Briggs, Kerry Gould, David Griswold, and Clinton King

Tenor sax: Angela Greenwald

Baritone sax: Jason Toussaint

Trumpets: Ivan Boudreau, Elliot Epstein, Randy Evans, Ron Houle, Jill Longstaff, Maurice Morin, and Nancy Morris

French horns: Stephanie Burke and Katrina Guignard

Trombones: Ben Barr, Sonny Begin, Margaret Berry, Fred Fahlsing, Bob Libby, and Chip Morrison

Baritones: Dennis Marenius and Jason McVille

Tubas: Mike Gamache and Duncan Webster

Percussion: Dan Leclair and Laurie Swart