Mike the Music Man Wraps Up Town's Summer Concert Series

Local families gathered Monday night at the Westwood Senior Center for singing and fun by Mike the Music Man. It was the last night of the Summer Concert series, and once again a great success.

"This is a great, free family activity to do," said Mary Kate Ferreira of the Westwood Young Women's Club, who chairs the concerts.  "We've consistently had 150 to 200 families coming to see concerts."

The series was presented by the Young Women's Club. It was formerly carried out by the Recreation Department, in an effort to bring entertainment to families throughout the dead of summer.

Ferreira said the series is an annual event, with concerts taking place every Monday in July from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Last year there was only one children's concert, but Ferreira said it was such a hit that they had two this year. Mike Slattery performed this time, and had kids singing and dancing along to Children's favorites like "I'm a Little Baby Bumble Bee" and "Skinaraminky Dinky Dink."

The concert series is a great way to showcase local music, provide entertainment for families and help with charity. The Young Women's Club accepted canned food items to be donated to the Westwood Food Pantry.

Mike the Music Man sang little songs about frogs and bugs while switching between different goofy hats to get the kids laughing. They danced around in front of the gazebo, with some parents even getting into it, too.

Representative Mike Rush was in attendance on Monday night, enjoying the summer night and meeting members of the community. He is a candidate for state senate, and said he was practicing retail politics in an effort to get to know members of the community one on one.

"It's a great way to make connections and hear peoples' stories," said Rush. "Some are doing great, some have lost their jobs. It's good to hear it straight from them"

It was a beautiful summer night and Westwood residents weren't wasting it. The lawn in front of the gazebo at the Westwood Senior Center was full of people of all ages, but mostly parents with children. It seemed like a great way to get the kids tired out before putting them down for bed, which is something that some parents tend to have a tough time doing during the summer.

Whether they were singing and dancing, or just sitting back and enjoying a slice from Westwood Pizza, there were smiles on everyone's' faces.