Thursday, August 22, the Travelin McCourys band will take the stage in Norwich's East Park.

NORWICH –A great summer of music may be nearing its end, but it isn’t going to go quietly. Organizers at the Chenango Blues Association lined up two very special shows to close out the season, and the last one will end with a fireworks display to put an exclamation mark on the best season yet.

On Thursday, August 22, the Travelin McCourys will roll in to Norwich with their 2019 Grammy Award under their belt. Ronnie and Rob McCoury have taken everything they’ve learned touring in their father Del’s band and gone off running with it.

“We’ve tried to pick songs we think people will enjoy” said Ronnie. “We can’t be another version of our Dad’s band. It wouldn’t make any sense for us to do that.” Instead they blend the threads from Bill Monroe and weave it with Jerry Garcia, transcending both. Their live shows are becoming a highlight of major bluegrass and jam band festivals across the country so this is a rare opportunity to hear them for free in upstate New York.

Thursday, August 29, will bring the season to a close, so why not go out with a bang? Neville Jacobs is an all-star collaboration between Ivan Neville, of Neville Brothers, and Dumpstafunk fame, and Cris Jacobs the Baltimore based singer, songwriter and guitar player. Ivan’s deep groove New Orleans funk and Cris’s soul drenched rock merge in wonderful and surprising ways.

Born of a late-night card game at Jazz Fest, the chance meeting has evolved into a several times a year super jam and the two have also released a nine-track recording in between the schedules they keep with their own bands. The evening will end with a fireworks display so plan to stay beyond the last note and celebrate a summer’s worth of great performances.

As has been the case all season, the park will be filled with food vendors like Ray Brothers BBQ, Nina’s Pizza, Johnny B’s quesadillas and Gilligan’s ice cream among others. Beverages will be available in the Park Place beer garden so come on down early and pass a good time.

Funding for the series has been provided by NBT Bank; the R.C. Smith Foundation; the Greater Norwich Foundation; and by a grant from the New York State Council of the Arts, administered by the ChenangoCounty Council of the Arts Decentralization program. Information on the performers can be found on the Chenango Blues Association’s website at www.chenangobluesfest.org.

— Submitted by Karen Foley