Summer: If you are a music lover and are looking for great concerts to enjoy free of charge in the Portland area, there are plenty to choose from over the summer months. A very popular one with the adult contemporary crowd is the Alive At Five series which runs throughout July and August in downtown Portland. This weekly concert series has been offering folks a great mix of musical talent for several years now and has become very popular with the happy hour crowd just getting out of work and looking for something fun to do. The concert is held in Monument Square and you will find a different genre weekly from folk, reggae, pop/rock to even specialty mixes like a New Orleans brass funk band. Another great concert series to check out this summer in Portland is Tuesday night concerts at Deering Oaks Park Bandstand. The venue is open in the park and it draws a large crowd who bring blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy the music. On Wednesday nights you can enjoy the Sunset Folk Series held at the Western Prom Park. The music is a mix of contemporary and Americana folk and runs every Wednesday during July and August. If you find yourself in Freeport be sure to check out the is LL Bean’s concert in the park series. This concert series actually runs from June to August and brings in some big name singers. The concert is held at LL Beans Discovery Park and draws a very large crowd so plan on going early to land a good spot. This is the type of venue where lawn chairs and blankets are perfect. While you are in Freeport you could stop in at Gritty’s and enjoy the deck and a few cocktails before the show begins. The LL Bean concert series is a fun time and there is a good variety of shows that also include family oriented musicians if you are looking for things to do with kids. A little further down the coast, Wells offers their own summer concert series at the Wells Community Harbor Park. The time of year is fast approaching for outdoor summer concert series and there are several towns along the southern coast such as Wells, Kennebunk and Kittery that all have their own programs and schedules. You can usually find information regarding show times and musicians on the town’s web page or by contacting that town’s Chamber of Commerce. So grab your friends and enjoy the music, it’s free and it’s a great place to be this summer!