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Near the Alpena City Harbor, in the heart of downtown, there is a small band shell nestled in one of the nicest pieces of scenery anyone could imagine.

It is surrounded by pastoral green grass and offers great views of both Lake Huron and the harbor. Several Alpena residents would no doubt say it is a fine place to sit and watch a summer concert.

Judie Vivian would probably say that. She is the office manager for the Thunder Bay Arts Council in Alpena, which sponsors a series of three concerts at the band shell every summer. The council does not have a large budget, but it tries to present music as diverse as possible, she said.

The council also takes localism into account when booking bands. It tries to get at least one group from the area during each series, Vivian said.

"We do that every summer," she said. "At least one of the three concerts will be local musicians."

The council tries to schedule one concert per month in June, July and August. The concerts are free and she encouraged people to bring a lawn chair, blankets and picnic basket to them.

In addition to the TBAC concert, Alpena also has a city band that performs regularly. A local radio station, 107.7 The Bay, hosts free concerts 10 Saturdays each summer featuring bands from the Great Lakes region.

Not to be outdone, Rogers City has a band shell of its own, which is also located near the lakeshore and city boat harbor. Every summer it offers a pair of concert series. The first, offers weekly performances by the Rogers City Community Band, features a mix of marches and scores from musicals and movies.

The people who watch the band seem to be most impressed by a patriotic tune, said band member Yvonne Brege.

"Our most popular song that the audience likes is our 'Stars and Stripes Forever,'" said Brege, who has been with the band since 1976.

The band typically has about 35-40 members, including some that come from the nearby towns of Hillman, Posen and Onaway. The concert series runs on Thursday nights from mid-June through the beginning of August. The concerts are free.

Rogers City's other series, the Summer Concert Series, is at Lakeside Park. It features both local and out-of-area bands and is paid for by local contributions and state grant money.

"That helps offset a lot of the costs for the groups we have coming in," said Anne Belanger, who arranges the performances.

The music ranges from cajun to country to calypso, she said. One of the most popular group she gets is a steel drum band from the Petoskey area. Attendance at the concerts ranges from 500-1,500 people each Thursday, Belanger said.

The Lakeside series usually runs on Friday nights from from mid-June until the end of July. Belanger said "Ideally, I would like to see it go into August" but that cannot happen because the park's grounds are needed for the Rogers City Nautical Festival.

The Harrisville Harbor comes alive with music during the summer as well. It hosts performances by country, blues, bluegrass, folk, oldies and other types of bands. The shows, which make up a series known as "Harrisville Harbor Nights," seem to appeal to a wide range of people.

"We run the gamut age wise, from little ones to very senior citizens," said Harrisville City Clerk Karen Sanderson, who arranges and schedules the performances.

She, too, said she likes to book as much local talent as possible. However, she does get a few out-of-area bands every year as well. The important thing is that the bands appeal to everyone and are entertaining, Sanderson said.

What make Harrisville Harbor Nights unique is they are part of Northeast Michigan's overall series of concerts that canvas the area, Sanderson said.