Georgina Smith grew up with the music of The Beatles in her native England and met singer Tom Jones long before he had his own TV show or grabbed a microphone on the Las Vegas stage.
Mark Johnston’s lifelong love of music began when he was a boy in Alaska, and expanded to include playing 13 instruments, including his current favorites, the mandolin and saxophone.
Just as there’s a story behind every song, there are caring citizens behind every community concert. Smith and Johnston organize the free Pacific Beach Concerts on the Green in Kate Sessions Park at Lamont Street just north of Beryl Avenue, presented by the Pacific Beach Town Council and the Pacific Beach Community Foundation. The pair is now in their sixth year of planning the annual concert series, combining their special event skills, love of music and support for the community. The concert series and its organizers encourage families to bring their blankets, chairs and picnics to the park on summer Sundays, July 20 through Aug. 10, from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Marveling at how the crowds fill the park with each concert, Smith, the concerts committee chair, remembers the Pacific Beach of 1969.
“It was a quiet little beach town,” she said. “Garnet Avenue would close up after six at night.”
A community volunteer for many years, Smith said she became involved with the concert series when Byron Wear, then San Diego City Councilman for District 2, suggested revitalizing a program that had begun as one military band concert per summer. Smith stepped forward to coordinate the new concert series and is its biggest fan.
“It’s a really good family event, and very successful,” she said. “It gives me great joy because it’s for the community. I can’t wait!”
Now in its sixth year, the concert series doesn’t require the planning time that it used to, according to Smith. She starts working on it in January and devotes much of her efforts to recruiting sponsors.
Smith credits Mark Johnston, the band coordinator, with helping to make the shows so successful. Johnston is also the event coordinator at Rose Creek Cottage, 2525 Garnet Ave. He has been a Pacific Beach resident for 20 years and said he has known Smith almost as long.
Johnston said he enjoys selecting bands with a variety of musical styles.
“All of the bands have been here before, but this schedule is really the best of the best,” Johnston said.
This Sunday, Theo and The Zydeco Patrol take the stage with their special recipe of Blues with the Southwest Louisiana hot sauce of traditional Cajun and zydeco. Their music features the traditional button accordion, keyboard accordion, washboard and vocal in the Cajun French of the region.
On July 27, Big Time Operator brings their big band sounds to the park. In another local connection, when lead vocalist Warren Lovell was growing up in Pacific Beach, Smith, now concert chair, used to babysit him. Now she plans to lead the applause for this 10-piece band that plays classic big band, Latin arrangements and original songs.
The Aug. 3 concert showcases Blues Racket Band, playing a selection from their musical encyclopedia of 232 hit songs. This Los Angeles/Orange County-based band brings a mix of high-energy ’80s rock, swing, Motown, Latin, blues, jazz, disco, surf, reggae and funk.
Rockola plays the grand finale on Aug. 10 with favorites from the ’60s, ’70s and beyond. The band is best known for their Beatles tributes and classic rock arrangements.
Concerts on the Green are from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and are free to the public. They are presented by the Pacific Beach Town Council and the Pacific Beach Community Foundation. All donations by businesses, organizations and individuals are welcome and are tax deductible.
For more information visit www.pbconcerts.org or call (858) 483-6666.