Summer is here. School is done this week. Graduation is upon us. And the best part of summer is beginning! The Los Alamos Free Concert Series opens on May 26, with Billy Bob Thornton & the Boxmasters.

Why You Should Go

I suppose it’s possible to live here in Los Alamos and be unaware of the Los Alamos Concert Series going on at Ashley Pond each Friday. However, for many of you, knowing the concerts are available isn’t necessarily incentive to go. I get that. The crowd is sometimes enormous and it could easily seem overwhelming. But as we kick off this summer’s series, I’d like to give you a few things to consider.

Our concert series has been lauded as the best free concert series in New Mexico. It runs from Friday May 26 until Friday September 1 and there are artists to fit any taste in music. Some are local and well known, some are local and unknown. Several are well known all over the world! But because this is a free concert, you don’t have to feel compelled to stick around for the whole thing. You can make your concert experience pretty much whatever you’d like.

Even If You Don’t Like Crowds

Don’t want to squeeze yourself onto the lawn in front of the pavilion? No problem! Utilize the free shuttle service and eliminate the need to park at all. Or park several blocks away or more and walk to the pond. Wave to your friends and neighbors, get a crazy awesome view of the crowd at twilight from the steps in front of the Justice Center. Listen to the music as you wander through the garden behind Fuller Lodge. Find a slice of the concert atmosphere pretty much anywhere in the downtown area on Friday nights. Part of the charm here in Los Alamos is the option to enjoy the entertainment in a way that works for you.

A Snack For Everyone

Food trucks are a novelty that has resonated with plenty of us these days. And there’s no doubt that the amount and variety of food trucks is almost incentive enough to pop by the pond on a Friday night. Local favorite Senor Tortas got their start in a food truck and they often still make an appearance on Friday nights. Snow cones, slushies, cotton candy, and other carnival style faves are available too. Whether you want dinner or just dessert, you can find something amazing. And that while your kids bounce themselves silly in the bouncy houses and run wild across the lawn like kids are supposed to do!

Something you may not realize is that the Youth Activity Center located in the Community Center basement is open during the concerts. The YAC will be in their parking lot offering treats like popcorn, candy, sodas, slushies, and even cotton candy. The proceeds all go back into free community programs for the YAC and the inside snack bar is available for taquitos, personal pizzas, and other regular menu items. The YAC even offers the opportunity to whip out the credit card for Square payments and their menu is priced significantly lower than many other available options.

On a semi-related side note, the YAC staff would like to remind the local public that if you’re enjoying a jaunt around the pond anytime during operating hours, they’d be happy to sell you a beverage at the snack bar. You don’t have to be a 3rd-8th grader to head inside and purchase a snack or a drink. So stop by during the summer to say hello!

Get Involved

Sometimes it’s easy to feel isolated up here in Los Alamos. I hear from folks all the time that there’s nothing to do and that they have difficulty finding social groups. The truth is that there are things to do all around us here in Los Alamos, but we have to get out and find those things. The summer concert series is an amazing example of that. It’s a huge local event and even if you went every week for the whole season you’d probably not run out of things to do and see!

If you’d like to step it up a notch, check out the concert’s website for job opportunities! They’re hiring everything from opening acts to social media coordinators. It could be a fantastic way to get involved with one of our amazing local traditions.

A Local Legend

A lot of folks might not realize that the Los Alamos Concert Series began as one local businessman’s attempt to bring music to Los Alamos. Russ Gordon and his family opened a record store (that sold ice cream!) in White Rock in 1988. The store eventually moved to the MariMac center in Los Alamos and the first “Gordon’s Stage” was a slapped together wood platform in the parking lot where the entire town gathered on Friday nights for a free concert. Gordon’s Concert series hosted over 500 music acts from all genres and Russ was an incredible influence on so many young people who wandered in and out of his record store over the years. With Russ’s retirement in 2017, the Los Alamos Summer Concert series became a thing, but many of us still call these events “Gordon’s Concerts” and there is a plaque on the pavilion at Ashley Pond celebrating Gordon’s contribution to the fabric of Los Alamos.

We are a tight community with tons of history and so much local flavor it might seem slightly crazy to outsiders. But we are also welcoming and eager to share our history and our amazing amenities and opportunities with everyone. So get out and enjoy the concert series this summer! And when you’re ready to join our community here in Los Alamos, give me a call! I’d love to chat Los Alamos Real Estate with you.