Open Range performance kicks off Paddle and Pick Summer Concert Series
Community members gathered to listen to Open Range, a family country band, who played at the Paddle and Pick Concert Series hosted by Buckley's Mountainside Canoe on Friday, June 26.
With a dream of combining his business and passion for music, Bob Busch started a new musical tradition at Buckley's Mountainside Canoe.
The canoe shop became a venue for the third annual Paddle and Pick Summer Concert Series. The series was kicked off today with a performance by Open Range, a family band that plays country music. Community members were able to donate to the Bopper Fund, a memorial fund set up to send kids to the Mystic Lake Summer Camp.
"We're having a good time out on the river," Busch said. "We have a donation set up for the Bopper Fund. We started this memorial three years ago when Bopper died. He worked at the river for years. Last year we were able to send 12 kids to camp."
Family members and friends gathered to canoe at 6 p.m. and arrived to land at 8 p.m. to watch the show. Among the audience was Cari Hickerson, a 41-year-old Mount Pleasant resident, who came to watch the show with her son and husband.
"I found out about this event through Facebook; a friend invited me," Hickerson said. "It's a place for family fun and the band is really good."
Many of the family members canoe and kayak at Buckley's often. Central Michigan University senior, Cody Sapp, said Buckley's is one of his favorite places in Mount Pleasant.
"I heard they were having live music, so I had to come," Sapp said. "I love coming to Buckely's so combining the two was perfect. I also have a big appreciation for live music because I'm a musician and I know that performing live can be difficult."
For others, such as 11-year-old Seally Busch from Mount Pleasant, the concert was a good place to hang out with her family. Busch said the atmosphere of this concert is intriguing to her and her mom.
"Me and my friends are part of a unicorn cult here in Mount Pleasant," Busch said. "We're basically ready to take over the world now."
Paddle and Pick Summer Concert Series will take place every other Friday.
Other performances Buckley's will host are the Mud Puppies, a roots rock band, Whistle Stop Review, a bluegrass band and East Blues Ensemble, a jazz band.
