For the past decade, the free Point Loma Summer Concerts have been seasonal music to the Peninsula’s ears. The five-week concert series, put on by the Point Loma Association (PLA), begins anew at Point Loma Park on Friday, July 16. “It just makes everybody excited that summer is here and is just so wonderful to kick off the season,” said PLA Concert Committee chair Martha Phillips. The Point Loma Summer Concerts have changed every year since 2001. A new aspect of this year’s series will start before the main act steps on the stage. “Because people come earlier to get a good seat in the grass or parking, we have added opening acts from 5:30 to 6 [p.m.],” Phillips said. “It’s just something more that we could do before the band comes on. We can’t really do anything afterward because it’s too dark out.” The opening acts will be geared toward the younger crowd. They will vary at each show and include a drum circle from the Recreational Music Center, and performances from Glen Fisher’s students and The Monarch School’s steel drum band. “Hopefully, it’s kids playing for kids,” Phillips said. As a result of growing attendance over the past few years, an ambulance is also required at the series. Phillips said she expects about 2,800 people to attend each of the free concerts. “We are all volunteers and it’s a collaborative event,” Phillips said. “All these people on the Peninsula participate to make the event what it is, and I think that’s part of what makes it so special.” The series kicks off July 16 with the high-energy variety dance band Atomic Groove from 6 to 8 p.m. Phillips said those making the trip out to Point Loma Park should bring a picnic and come early to stake out a spot on the grass. The summer concerts are held on consecutive Fridays from July 16 to Aug. 13. The rest of the lineup includes Beatles tribute band Help! (July 23), Rolling Stones cover band Jumping Jack Flash (July 30), Louis Prima tribute band The Screamin’ Primas (Aug. 6) and classic pop and rock band The Mighty Untouchables (Aug. 13). The 2010 concert series costs $62,000 to put on, part of which PLA recoups during the raffles held at each concert. During each performance, PLA will raffle off a host of items in addition to other goodies donated by the concerts’ sponsors. “We have to get it covered with planned giving and the raffle,” Phillips said. “Fundraising right now is not easy, so we’re depending on the raffle to pull us through.” Overflow parking is available at All Souls’ Episcopal Church, 1475 Catalina Blvd., with free shuttle service to and from Point Loma Park at the corner of Catalina Boulevard and Varona Street. For more information, visit www.plconcerts.org. “Just come and be happy,” Phillips said. “This is going to be a happy place to be.” POINT LOMA SUMMER CONCERT SERIES • When: 6 to 8 p.m., Fridays from July 16 through Aug. 13 • Where: Point Loma Park July 16 — Atomic Groove July 23 — Help! July 30 — Jumping Jack Flash Aug. 6 — The Screamin’ Primas Aug. 13 — The Mighty Untouchables