Last night, a hundred people lugged food, blankets and lawn chairs to Ronan Park to hear the free concert, the last in the summer concert in the park series. Picante, originally scheduled to play on a rainy July 23rd, entertained families, couples, children, and dogs. Picante is described as a world-latin-jazz ensemble, with rhythms taken from Africa, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and Jamaica among others, a fitting choice for the denizens of Albany Park. The quiet murmer in the crowd between songs spoke of Arabic, African, Spanish, Korean and Eastern European.

Picante's finale involved a conga line through the park. Emiliya Angelova, 29, and her 15 month old baby were among those swept up by dancing. Angelova became hooked after her first concert this summer and plans on coming back next year. Recently from Bulgaria, Angelova says "The music is nice." Brad, who lives in Uptown, discovered the weekly concert when he came here last week with a friend to drink by the river. Says Brad, "These guys were good, they're all skilled musicians, but the guys last week were playing Veracruz. I've always liked that type of music, and I had forgotten about it, and when I heard it last week it just clicked in my brain"

August 13th was the last night of the summer concert series in Ronan Park, courtesy of the North River Comission and the Chicago Park District. You can watch videos of this summers events here.

-soluble