End of another successful Music on the River Summer Concert Series

Submitted by Recreation Director Lisa Conroy

And just like that the 2026 Music on the River Summer Concert Series has concluded. ThisEast Haddam tradition is a beautiful example of community, collaboration, friendship, and a love of music.

Thank you for sharing your Monday evenings with us and celebrating 19 years ofsinging and dancing together in one of the most stunning settings in all of Connecticut.We extend a heartfelt thank you to the amazing musicians who joined us…On the Trail, Yarn, The Love Dogs, U.S. Coast Guard Guardians Big Band, House of Hamill, and Caravan of Thieves. This season was every bit as amazing as we hoped itwould be!

Thank you to the many donors who made this series possible, especially our Diamond Donors - Liberty Bank, Dutch Oil and Propane, I-Park, along with our Platinum Donors – Nutmeg Pharmacy, East Haddam Police Union, Jansky’s Rubbish, EMP Apparel, East Haddam Community Lions Club, and Jimmy’s Legacy Bar & Grille. Many thanks to our Gold Donors - East Haddam Lions Club, Rob Smith, and Paul Varkala. We truly appreciate your generosity!

We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the Goodspeed Opera House, especially Donna Lynn, Angel Welter, and Timothy Garland, along with Megan Kilpatrick and Blerta Kukaj with the Gelston House for sharing your hospitality and magnificent location with all of us. We truly appreciate your partnership.

So many people work all year long to make this series possible. Many thanks to our Music on the River Committee members: Candy and Anthony Nero, John Piontkowski, Margy Roberts, Cynthia Deming, Tony Lisowicz, and Matt White. Your love of music and community is unmatched, and we are so grateful for your collaboration to ensure the continued success of this concert series.

A huge shout out to our indispensable volunteers who have helped us throughout the season with set-up, clean-up, booklet distribution, pre-concert announcements, and donation collections this summer: Pete Govert, Warren Morse, Isla Poapst, Elna Krasniai, and Leart Krasniai. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Many thanks to Mike Goodreau and Brian Rembish with Ace Music and Audio for making every band sound their best. We are incredibly lucky to work with such talented and patient professionals as you!

Thank you to the East Haddam Police and East Haddam Ambulance for ensuring a safe venue. Thank you to our facilities crew Rick Shea, Jeff McLean, Kyle Fitzgibbons, and Don Angersola for your assistance with our staging. Your willingness to go the extra mile and avert mini crises does not go unrecognized.

A heartfelt thank you to Annette Vaccarino, Rose-Marie Evans, Chris, John, Sebby, and Frank at Nathan Hale-Ray High School for all your assistance when hosting our Guardian’s Big Band concert at the auditorium. You couldn’t have been more patient, flexible, and helpful!

Thank you to the immensely talented Joe Sina for sharing your time with us and helping us capture so many memories in your stunning photos. We are so grateful for your help in transforming our photo gallery! And a huge thank you to Elyse Taylor for her beautiful T-shirt design - our best-selling shirt ever!

A special thank you to my brilliant colleague Cathy Tozier who worked tirelessly on our fundraising campaign. Her attention to detail and gift for arranging the most beautiful charcuterie boards is unmatched! And an abundance of gratitude to our summer office interns Kyra Brennan and Payton Balducci for all your help setting up, organizing all matter of supplies and details, and your willingness to jump in to assist no matter how crazy the request. We have the best team we could ever ask for, and I am so grateful to you all.