AC’s June Jazz again features free concerts on Washington Street Campus

Amarillo College’s Washington Street Campus bustles big time on Tuesday nights in June, when the Jim Laughlin AC June Jazz Series is in full swing.

This will be the 27th year for June Jazz, the popular outdoor concert series that commonly draws an audience of hundreds to the College and is named in honor of its founder and continuous organizer, Dr. Jim Laughlin, professor of music.

The concerts are free and open to the public. They occur from 7:30 to 9 p.m. each Tuesday throughout June on the Oeschger Family Mall, and this year’s lineup features the following local jazz musicians and groups:

June 7: The Martinis

June 14: Esquire Jazz

June 21: Austin Brazille

June 28: Polk Street Jazz

Due to ongoing campus renovations, this year’s stage setup will be slightly different than in the past; however, it still will be in the immediate vicinity of the centrally located Clock Tower, on the northern portion of Oeschger Mall.

"One of my favorite things about June Jazz, besides the fact that it's free, is the community and family atmosphere,” Laughlin said. “Everyone brings blankets, lawn chairs, picnics, and pets. Kids are always playing and dancing, and everyone is welcome to attend.”

Enhancing the June Jazz experience this year is the new Badger Central Bookstore & Café. Located in the College Union Building (adjacent to the concert venue), the café will be serving its usual plethora of drinks and is making plans to offer a limited number of food items that will be unique to June Jazz. The Bookstore will have June Jazz and AC apparel for sale, too.

For those who cannot make it to June Jazz in person, the concerts are aired beginning at 7:30 p.m. on 89.9 FM or kacvfm.org on the Web.

“June Jazz is one of Amarillo’s favorite community gatherings featuring some of our amazing local artists,” Laughlin said, “and it just never gets old.”