She said people don’t always go out to different places to hear all the various styles of music, so the First Friday concerts are a good opportunity to hear a mix of different styles and genres.
“It’s a win-win situation. You can come in, have lunch and hear some great music,” Clinard said. “It’s just become part of people’s lives, and they know to come on the first Friday of each month.”
Led by Rich Begel, En Fuego is a Latin music trio. Begel also manages The Flying Klezmerians, and he is a member of The Klaberheads and The Dayton Philharmonic. En Fuego formed in the fall of 2022. The group is comprised of Begel, Brian Cashwell and Mike LaMattina.
“This is a style of music that’s not easily accessed for our audience,” Clinard said. “When I book musicians, I really don’t have a lot of space, so it’s not like I can hire a 30-piece band, and it’s also hard to find musicians that can perform during the daytime. Basically, this is just a style that we haven’t represented very often at First Fridays. We have had bluegrass, country, rock, folk and Celtic, but the Latin style is just not something we’ve featured as much.”
First United Methodist Church Middletown has hosted the First Friday monthly concerts since 2006. On average, about 70-80 attendees turn out for each concert. Concerts are held every month.
“A lot of people come to almost every concert, and oftentimes, a group will come, such as a retirement home or another church in the Cincinnati area,” Clinard said. “We get people coming from Dayton, Cincinnati, Oxford, Lebanon, Monroe and Trenton. We probably pull from a 30- to 40-mile radius.”
The First Friday concerts are typically on the first Friday of each month from noon to 1 p.m. at the church at 120 S. Broad S., across from the MidPointe Library downtown.
“We’re in downtown Middletown, and we just wanted to be a part of creating some energy downtown. So, to have concerts in the daytime, we thought would help the restaurants downtown, and people can do some shopping,” Clinard said. “What people do is they meet their friends here. They come to the concert, and then, they go to lunch somewhere. So, that’s how it’s evolved.”
“The original idea was we just wanted to be known as a church that’s part of the community, and to open the doors during the day to allow people to come in. It’s just a concert celebrating music and the community.”
MORE INFO
In September, the First Friday concert will be noon-1 p.m. Sept. 5. Concerts are free and open to the public. Guests are welcome to bring lunch and enjoy the music.
In October, the First Friday concert will be Oct. 3 and feature songs from the Great American Songbook and Broadway with Queen City Cabaret.
Call 513-423-4629 for information.
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