The St. Joseph Metro Chamber announced the schedule for the eleventh year of its free community event Parties on the Parkway

The Parties on the Parkway concert series gives St. Joseph residents a chance to network with friends and co-workers after the workday ends, all while enjoying the sounds of local bands and the beautiful, natural scenery of the Parkway system.

The “Parties” are scheduled on the second Thursday of each month through September.

Rainout dates are one week following the scheduled date. Hours are from 5 to 8 p.m.

This year, attendees can again pick up a “Party Passport.” If an attendee gets the passport stamped at three of the five Parties on the Parkway events, he or she will be qualified to win some great prizes at the end of the series.

The schedule for the 2012 series includes a great mix of musical acts:
*May 10 — Steve Fuller’s Dixie Union Band will perform country music at Southwest Pkwy at King Hill (near Benton High School)
*June 14 — Midnight Express Band will perform classic rock songs at Southwest Parkway and 28th Street.
*July 12 — Swift Kick will entertain the crowd with classic and new rock at Southwest Noyes Boulevard and Messanie Street, Parkway A.
*Aug. 9 — Tequila Mockingbird will play classic rock and music from the 1990s along the Parkway across from Corby Pond.
*Sept. 13 — Soca Jukebox will perform its soul, calypso, reggae and island rock at the Northside Complex.

Food and beverages will be available for purchase. Attendees are asked to bring lawn chairs or blankets. No alcoholic beverages may be brought in to the event. Proceeds will benefit the Friends of the Park.

Rockin’ on the River, an encore to Parties on the Parkway, will again be held this year. It will be from 4 to 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 6, near the Remington Nature Center of St. Joseph.