Now in its sixth year, Chelsea's Sounds & Sights continues to attract music fans, families

Clark Darcy, 7, sits next to his mother, Holly, as Gabby Bowlen, 6, and her brother Andrew, 4, enjoy their ice cream during Sights and Sounds in downtown Chelsea on Thursday night.

Melanie Maxwell I AnnArbor.com

Aside from the sounds and sights that have made the downtown Chelsea event a popular summer destination since 2004, organizers of Sounds & Sights on Thursday Nights have added taste as well this year.

“We’ve added an element of more food. There used to be just a hot dog vendor, but now we have Bear Claw coffee and pizza. They are all Chelsea restaurateurs,” said Bob Pierce of the Chamber of Commerce who is also a Sounds & Sights committee member.

He added the new stage at South Street was becoming a very popular spot.

Pierce said the Sounds and Sights event was designed to be an event for the entire downtown.

“It keeps people moving throughout the evening. We didn’t want just one type of music, we wanted people to enjoy their kind of music,” said Pierce.

Stevie Melville, 16, sits next to his grandfather Lincoln Johnson as they make balloon animals during the Sights and Sounds on Thursday Nights in downtown Chelsea

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

On Thursday, Dixieland jazz mingled with folk music as seven bands took the stage. The musicians represented many different types of genres, from the folk and country of Annie and Rod Capps and the Koppin Family Band, to the rock bands of Scenic Route and Royale. Kitty Donohoe, an Ark regular from Ann Arbor, played her folksy, bluesy music as well as traditional Irish music with hammer dulcimer player Doug Berch.

“It’s always a fun thing to play for summer concerts and play for an audience that might not come for concerts (such as at the Ark),” said Berch.

“I think it’s a good move for towns to do this in the summer and get people to come downtown and hang out,” said Donohoe.

Melinda Long, the lead singer of the Jackson French Quarter Dixieland Jazz, said she enjoyed the music.

“And we love to have audiences that listen to our Dixieland jazz…You can’t beat it,” said Long, adding that her band is made up of former and present band directors who perform about three or four times per month.

The event, now in its sixth year, features something for everyone from people watching to kids activities to catching up with friends and neighbors.

“The acts are really good and it’s fun to watch the crowd,” said George Till of Chelsea.

The concert series is also a favorite hangout for families.

“It’s a family-oriented entertainment that gives people the opportunity to get out and enjoy the nice weather,” said Brett Lyles of Chelsea, who brought his wife, Melinda, and three children, Austin, 9, Ethan, 6, and Morgan, 18 months, to the concert series.

“You normally run into some people you know and chit chat,” said Lyles. He also said he likes to support the local businesses in town.

“And I like the pop, and country bands they had last year,” he added. “And you like to see when people bring their pets,” he said to his youngest son, Ethan.

There were also activities for the kids: Balloon animals were provided at the courthouse by 3 Generations Entertainment, and a magic show took place at the Clocktower by Boyer the Magic Guy.

The Sounds & Sights on Thursday Nights is supported by the Chelsea Center for the Arts, and is funded by a Downtown Development Grant and private donations. The event is held 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Thursdays throughout the summer, starting mid-June and ending Aug. 26, culminating in a Sounds & Sights Festival that will run from July 29 to the 31.

Alana West is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com.