Make Music Old Lyme rang in the summer solstice Saturday evening with tunes up and down Lyme Street as part of the international tradition promoting free music for all.
Economic Development Commission member Cheryl Poirier estimated there were at least 300 people strolling the historic district while more than a dozen musical acts entertained from porches, yards and storefronts.
Revelers strolled a route extending from fire station, where Old Lyme’s Colin Hallahan played cover songs and originals, to the lawn of the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme on which the 50-year-old Old Lyme Town Band played selections from its 500-piece catalog.
Poirier acknowledged the crowd seemed lighter than in previous years, though she said it’s difficult to provide an exact count when attendees are spread out across three-quarters of a mile for two hours.
Some people walked up and down the street sampling all the sounds, while others sat down to enjoy one band at a time.
The event is produced by the Old Lyme Arts District and the MusicNow Foundation. Launched in France in 1982, Make Music is an international musical festival open to all who would like to participate, and takes place in over 1,000 cities in 120 countries every June 21, the summer solstice.
Children made their own music in an activity hosted by the Old Lyme Historical Society during the stroll.
This year marked the 7th annual Make Music event. Genres represented this year included bluegrass, folk, indie rock, American standards, and pop.
The international Make Music phenomenon returns for next year’s summer solstice on Sunday, June 21.
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