The Warren County Music in the Park Concert series kicked off last Thursday with the Scott Laytham and Karl “Trickee” Holmes Duo on hand for opening night.Although a bit disappointed in the opening night turnout, Warrenton alderman and event organizer Mike Shilharvey believes crowds will pick up throughout the summer thanks to new events and a Warrenton city policy allowing attendees to bring in alcohol.“It always a gamble, especially when it’s this hot,” Shilharvey said.“Fortunately, there was a nice, little breeze blowing through here and it’s a nice shady area. I’m a little disappointed in the first one, especially with the band we have. They are different and that was one of the things I was looking for.”Shilharvey said he heard criticism in previous years for a lack of a variety of musical genres. This year he and his fellow members of the Warren County Fine Arts Council, that puts on the summer series, focused on giving Warren County residents more variety.Warrenton residents can look forward to seeing George Portz and Friends of Bluegrass perform July 14 and Shorty and the Two Toads will perform Aug. 18. Three Point Hitch will wrap up the Warrenton leg of the summer series Sept. 15.“They (Portz) always draw a crowd. After that, we have a new band — Shorty and the Two Toads — play in August,” Shilharvy said. “They are a new band that does progressive country, traditional country and mix it up a little bit.“Some of them were in a band that previously played here so I know the kind of music they do. I had people say ‘Can you get that band back?’ No, I couldn’t get that band back, but I think we have the core group from it,” he said.“We close out with Three Point Hitch. They are local and draw a big crowd. We like to have them sometime each summer.”Shilharvy said he has worked as a coordinator for the concert series for seven years, but this year will be much different. The city of Warrenton donated prizes such as Beats headphones, Bluetooth speakers and other high-end electronics as part of a free raffle for attendees.Those over 21 years of age and older may also bring a cooler to the event and enjoy alcoholic drink of their choice.“The city passed an ordinance allowing consumption of liquor in the park for these events,” Shilharvy said. “We’ve added the Warrior cheerleaders to do food in June and July. We may have the Boy Scouts do it in August and September.“We’ve started providing food and the tourism commission stepped in this year to help spur more interest,” he said. “We’re going to give away earbuds and waterproof speakers. They have a whole list of things they are talking about giving away later this year like Cardinals tickets or Blues tickets.“It’s the tourism commission’s job to bring more people in the city and hopefully a free raffle will spur some interest,” he said.Although Marthasville and Wright City parks may have different policies on alcohol, Shilharvy said those planning to attend Thursday’s Jones, Martin and Stan concert in Wright City or next Friday’s Just for S and G concert in Marthasville can expect the same level of talent showcased at last Thursday’s season opener in Dyer Park.Shilharvy thanked city officials, specifically city parks department officials, for their efforts in making the summer concert series a success each season.“Those guys are very important,” Shilharvy said. “In Marthasville and Wright City, it’s the same way. They always have everything looking really nice and that is all you can ask for from those guys.”Although the arts council’s main goal is to expose Warren County residents to various genres of art whether it is music, dance or a tapestry, Shilharvy said the most important part of events such as the Music in the Park Concert Series is that residents come out and interact with one another.“It is a very important part of the fabric of the community,” he said. “The funds keep drying up each year. Grant money keeps drying up. I don’t know how long we can go, but maybe someone else will step up to the plate and pick it up.”Concert in the Park schedule:Marthasville - City PavilionJune 24 - 'Just for S and G' at 7:30 p.m.July 22 - 'Three Point Hitch' at 7:30 p.m.Aug. 26 - 'The Garden Party' at 7:30 p.m.Warrenton - Dyer ParkJuly 14 - 'George Portz & Friends of Bluegrass' at 7 p.m.Aug. 11 - 'Shorty and the Two Toads' at 7 p.m.Sept. 15 - 'Three Point Hitch' at 7 p.m.Wright City - Diekroeger ParkJuly 21 - 'Pik 'n Lik 'n' at 7 p.m.Aug. 18 - 'Vera Blum and the Silver Wings' at 7 p.m.Concert