July has returned and so has Live After 5.

The summer concert series will kick off Thursday in the 13th Street District West End Park. Marshalltown familiar Buz Owen will open the series at 5 p.m., followed by the B2wins.

Board members Robert and Linda Moore are looking forward to the season and added the first show is going to be special.

“The B2wins are two gentlemen who have been around Iowa for some time,” Robert Moore said. “We have had their shows in the past and they were well received. They were popular in the past. This is going to be special because this is the last year they are performing in Iowa because they are moving to Florida. We really wanted to snag them for their final Iowa tour.”

He said the musical style of the B2wins was difficult to describe, but included energetic “all over the stage” performances of original and cover songs with violins, a ukulele, guitar and a drummer.

“We really hope to pack the people in,” Robert Moore said. “The B2wins are doing a lot of promotion on their website, and when people know this will be their final tour, I think there will be a big crowd.”

Linda Moore said the Thursday performance is held in conjunction with the 13th Street District Red, White & Blue Celebration. So, Robert Moore said there will be a lot of additional stuff for people to do. Which is why it will be the only Live After 5 on a Thursday, starting at 5 p.m.

“After that, we will go back to Fridays starting at 5:30 p.m.,” he said.

The dates and bands for the rest of the Live After 5 series are:

• July 11, Exit 185, a band with known roots in Marshalltown who play hits from a variety of genres;

• July 18, Black Dirt Ramblers, a bluegrass band;

• July 25, Lincolnway Driverz, a central Iowa band performing since 1982 with a focus on rock, country and blues music.

This year is also the first time Live After 5 will make sound equipment available to all of the bands. The Moores said a lot of time and effort was spent in organizing and scheduling the lineup for the series.

“We reach out to see if bands are available,” Robert Moore said. “It’s a lot of time spent looking online and listening to performances. I think I contacted 12 different bands to fill the slots, talking to them and seeing how much they cost. It’s a process of selection and elimination.”

The Moores have been involved with Live After 5 since the creation of the annual series roughly 10 years ago. In the beginning, the concerts were held in the Orpheum parking lot on Main Street. However, when the Marshalltown Community School District purchased the property, Live After 5 was moved to allow for the sale of alcohol.

“A few years ago we moved to the West End Park, and it’s a wonderful venue,” Robert Moore said. “Even if it’s hot, there are shade elements. People bring their lawn chairs and I think the most [people] we have had at the park has been between 400 and 450. It’s really a great location.”

Linda Moore added they will have food trucks for all the concerts, as well as beer, wine and water for sale. The concerts themselves are free, but attendees will have to pay for their food and drink. Robert Moore said they are able to pay the bands, insurance for the series and the necessary permits thanks to the revenue from the sale of beverages.

“We are proud of the fact we have been able to go 10 years without charging admission,” he said. “That is very important. People go around the state and the Midwest to outdoor concerts and pay for admission, but we don’t have to.”

This week, the Moores hope to start finding sponsors — private and business — in Marshalltown to help support future Live After 5s. First they want to see a great Thursday event.

“This is a nice time in Marshalltown,” Robert Moore said. “Live After 5 has been well accepted by the community, and more so since we have partnered with the 13th Street. The Chamber has also been instrumental in working with us. They want to help make the weekend successful and we have really enjoyed their cooperation.”

Given the July Iowa heat, the Red, White & Blue Celebration and the presence of the B2wins, Linda Moore urged people to show up early to get good seats.

“Come early and bring lawn chairs,” Linda Moore said. “And wear a hat, protect yourself from the sun.”

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Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

bradstream@timesrepublican.com.