Featured image (from left): Julie Allen, director of the Newport Area Chamber of Commerce; Jim Gowen, Jr., president and CEO of Merchants and Planters Bank; and Jon Chadwell, director of the Newport Economic Development Commission.
A concert series is bringing statewide talent to the Terry Scoggins Stage at 412 Front St. in downtown Newport thanks to Merchants and Planters Bank and M & P Insurance.
Monster Beats successfully kicked off its first concert on Saturday, June 27 with Bad Habit, a rock and roll band from Little Rock, and three other dynamic, family-friendly acts are scheduled for the series.
On July 18, Tim Meitzen, a northeast Arkansas favorite, brings a full band with a wide variety of country, rock and folk music while on Aug. 8, The Salty Dogs, a nationally acclaimed eclectic country quartet from Little Rock that has shared the stage with Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, Jr., and the Old Crow Medicine Show will perform.
And on Oct. 10, The Karla Case Band will take the stage for the last Monster Beats show of the year. The Karla Case Band is one of central Arkansas’ top bands and a local favorite, playing a wide variety of rock, pop, dance, and country.
All performances start at 7 p.m. and are free to the public. Guests are encouraged to bring a chair, sit under the stars, and enjoy the music.
Face masks must be worn to enter and exit the stage area and social distancing between groups must be practiced. Guests may also sit in their cars and listen.
“We believe in and are proud to sponsor events like this, now more than ever. No, we can’t sit together or even physically greet each other like we would have last year, but we can have a night out, see each other in a safe, large, outdoor area, and enjoy a few hours of good music without spending a dime,” says Jim Gowen, Jr., president and CEO of Merchants and Planters Bank. “That’s pretty good therapy to me, and a nice reminder that our community is still here, still vibrant, and full of good.”
M&P Monster Beats is part of the Monster Nights Downtown Entertainment Series, a free series held in Newport between May 1 and Oct. 31. The series is brought to you by the Downtown Revitalization and Improvement Volunteer Effort, the Newport Chamber of Commerce, and numerous community and business sponsorships.
Visit www.newportarcity.org or the Monster Nights page on Facebook for more information.
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