The Sessions at McPike Park, a popular summertime concert series that benefits a variety of essential Madison-area non-profits, are back for 2021 and kicking off tonight.
“We wanted to establish Milt McPike Park as the place for this event. We wanted this to be for everybody in the city; we didn’t want this to be a Marquette neighborhood thing. We wanted everybody to feel comfortable here,” Bob Queen, the longtime Central Park Sessions event coordinator and board president, tells Madison365. “By getting the diversity and getting the sensational organizations that are doing work all over the city and county, it really established it as an event for everybody. If it’s Central Park, it should be central to all of our existence.”
With a diverse line-up, diverse cuisines and diverse non-profits set up to benefit from the event, the Sessions at McPike Park have proved to be one of Madison’s more popular summertime events. Unfortunately, last year’s sessions were canceled because of the pandemic. But this year, Queen is excited to be back at the 6-acre McPike Park, formerly known as Central Park, named after longtime beloved Madison East High School Principal Milton McPike and located at 202 S. Ingersoll Street on Madison’s near east side.
“We will still be taking precautions and being safe is tantamount to our thoughts. The city and the county will dictate what we do,” Queen says. “I think being outside and having this giant area to use will be an advantage and the high number of people that are vaccinated in Madison. We’ll feel safe there.”
The seven Sessions dates will benefit seven area non-profits including Centro Hispano, Urban League of Greater Madison, Prime Urban Properties, The Community Immigration Law Center, The Intertribal Agriculture Council, WORT-FM, and NAMI Dane County.
“We have seven great non-profits that we partner with for this event, so that makes this very unique and very special,” Queen says.
The event kicks off on Friday night, Aug. 6, with main stage bands including The Johnny Chimes Band, Paul Cebar Tomorrow Sound, and Shamarr Allen and the Underdawgs from New Orleans. The Chicory Stage will feature Raine Stern, Paul Cebar and Madison Comedy Week with Kevin Bozeman. Proceeds from tonight will go to the Intertribal Agriculture Council.
“With San Fermin from Brooklyn and Chumck Prophet (and The Mission Express) from San Francisco, we are coast to coast with a lot in between,” Queen says, describing the music line-up.
See the full schedule here for all of the days of the Sessions.
This weekend’s sessions will benefit a pair of southside neighboring non-profits — Saturday, Aug. 7, will benefit Centro Hispano of Dane County and Sunday, Aug 8., will benefit the Urban League of Greater Madison. Both Madison-area non-profits will be selling raffle tickets to win great prizes throughout the day including a night’s stay at the Marquette Hotel and at the nicely restored 1873 vintage Hotel Ruby Marie.
“The raffle is fantastic so our great organizations get every nickel that comes from that,” Queen says. “We do profit sharing so we can split up a substantial amount of money when the sun shines on us. I think we’re very unique in that regard.”
There will be a diversity of food vendors at the event including El Sabor De Puebla, El Coqui, Melted, The Chocolate Shoppe, Buraka, M & J’s Jamaican K’chen, Kettle Black Cafe
Tavernakaya/Umami, La Casserole and Vengan Pa’ka.
“This is something that we can feel good about it,” Queen says. “The Sessions has so much to offer musically but it’s also a chance for all of these great non-profits to have a day when they are in the spotlight and let people know what they are all about and to make some money for their respective organizations.”
