The Brandywine Riders kick off Newark's spring concert series

The Newark Parks and Recreation Department’s annual spring concert series kicked off Thursday with a performance by The Brandywine Riders.

The band, which plays country, rock and jazz, is made up of three University of Delaware graduates who now live in Wilmington and Philadelphia.

The free shows will continue each Thursday through June 6. They will run from 7 to 8 p.m. on the Academy Lawn, located at the corner of Academy Street and Main Street.

Attendees are encouraged to pick up food from a downtown restaurant to enjoy during the show, but the city will not be sponsoring a beer garden in conjunction with the concerts like it did the past two years. The beer gardens, while popular, were not financially viable for the restaurant partners.

Parking fees will be in effect downtown during the concerts.

The concert schedule is as follows:

May 9: Ami Yares (roots and folk)

May 16: Shelley Kelley Band (folk and variety)

May 23: Big Izzy and Friends (rock, blues and pop)

May 30: Dustin Manucci Trio (rock)

June 6: Abe Ovadia (modern jazz)