OXFORD – Round up the family and the folding chairs and plan on some entertaining evenings out in the summer air as the Chenango Blues Association kicks off its free summer concert series.

Oxford’s Lafayette Park is the setting for the first show on Thursday, July 10. Up and coming swing and rhythm & blues band, We Are Mighty Lester, takes the stage from 7 to 9 p.m. A listen to the horn section alone confirms the band’s power, said Blues Association Vice-President Steve Palmatier.

“We’re very excited to be bringing this band to Oxford. We hope lots of people come to enjoy what promises to be a great show,” he said. The Bluesfest Association worked in partnership with “Six on the Square” to host the Oxford show.

On Thursday, July 17, the series shifts to its traditional City of Norwich West Side Park location for three straight Thursday shows that promise to showcase a diversity of world-class talent. All begin at 7 p.m.

First up are Big Sandy and His Fly Rite Boys, who have emerged as one of the world’s most respected practitioners of American roots music, western swing, rockabilly and traditional country-playing. Next up, on July 24, is One World Tribe, an ensemble group of musicians and dancers who merge musical influence from Reggae to jazz. The last performance July 31 in West Side Park will be by Smokin Joe Kubek and Bnois King who play Texas rockin’ blues at its best.