MIDLOTHIAN – The last of the “Autumn Beats” music series in Midlothian will be this Saturday featuring the band Forever Mac, a Fleetwood Mac tribute band. Held at Midlothian Community Park Amphitheater, the concert is free, and food is available for purchase. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets.
From the band’s website: “Forever Mac is six Dallas music veterans, exploring some of the most powerful and influential music ever made. Faithful recreations of those beautiful harmonies and iconic instrumental tones will take you back to the days when Fleetwood Mac’s hits ruled the radio.”
Presenting sponsor State Farm’s Tim Tobey Insurance is sponsoring the evening as a nod to the agency’s 25th anniversary in Midlothian.
“My family, staff and I are excited to be part of the concert series,” Tobey said. “Not only did we feel it would be a great way to give back to the community that has blessed us so richly, but it is even more special being at the memorial amphitheater of our lost-too-soon public servant and customer Art Pierard.”
The Autumn Beats concert series was also made possible, in part, by a grant from the Midlothian Community Development Corporation, which administers local sales tax dollars to enhance quality of life in Midlothian.
The attendance has been good averaging around 300 attendees per concert.
“So, between the summer and autumn series, we have entertained nearly 2,000 people,” said Laurie Lundberg, Communications and Marketing Director for the City of Midlothian.
According to Heather Dowell, Director of the Parks and Recreation Department, “We started this to program our new facility and provide some fun outdoor concerts for our community. We look to continue the concert series and possibly grow them. I hope to see plays, school musical performances, maybe some open mic nights and things of that nature in the future.”
The park was newly completed, and offers ample parking. The amphitheater acoustics have also been excellent as has the atmosphere in a beautiful and serene setting with the perfect location for lawn seating and plenty of room for families to spread out and enjoy a picnic during the concert.
“Beginning with Summer Beats and moving into Autumn Beats, the concert series has exceeded all of our expectations,” Midlothian Mayor Richard Reno said. “Even though there seems like a lot of events going on around town every weekend, the Beats concert attendance is continually strong. The City’s goals with the concerts have been to use the many amenities of Community Park to serve the most people. We feel we have truly hit the ball out of the park with this new addition to our annual special events lineup.”
Brandee Fulfer, Park Board Chairwoman also added “The Beats concerts have offered a variety of music – from featuring local singer songwriters to regional performers, we have featured country music, Texas Red Dirt, 80s and 90s pop, and are ending on a nostalgic note with Forever Mac. We appreciate the support of our community sponsors, such as this Saturday’s presenting sponsor State Farm, Tim Tobey agency.”
While there will not be a winter series, the city’s usual holiday event schedule kicks off on December 1. This includes an outdoor nighttime movie at Midlothian Community Park on Friday, December 9 at 6:30 p.m. The City’s annual tree-lighting ceremony is set for Thursday, December 1 at 6 p.m. in downtown Heritage Park and on Saturday December 3, the annual Southern Star Christmas Celebration and light-up parade also takes place downtown.
If you enjoyed the music series this year, never fear though because word is they do plan to hold the annual May concert at Community Park next year and the city will announce the exact date and performers later, as well as plans for a 2023 Summer Beats concert series at Community Park.
