Scranton’s Nay Aug Park announces free Wednesday evening concerts through Sept. 6
From a press release:
With its Sunday afternoon concerts now underway, the city of Scranton will begin its Wednesday night concert series next week with The Wanabees.
The Hot Club of Scranton was set to open the series this week but the show was canceled due to air quality issues caused by the Canadian wildfires.
The free shows at Nay Aug Park (500 Arthur Ave., Scranton) are held every Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Showmobile parked next to the pool area. Sunday shows start at 2 p.m. in the same location.
2023 Nay Aug Park Wednesday concert schedule
Wednesday, June 14 at 6 p.m.: The Wanabees
Wednesday, June 21 at 6 p.m.: Tara Michele
Wednesday, June 28 at 6 p.m.: Group du Jour
Wednesday, July 5 at 6 p.m.: The Hot Club of Scranton
Wednesday, July 12 at 6 p.m.: Erin Malloy & Friends
Wednesday, July 19 at 6 p.m.: Jack Mead and the West Third Street Band
Wednesday, July 26 at 6 p.m.: East Coast Trio
Wednesday, Aug. 2 at 6 p.m.: The Broke Pines
Wednesday, Aug. 9 at 6 p.m.: Dashboard Mary
Wednesday, Aug. 16 at 6 p.m.: Old Friends
Wednesday, Aug. 23 at 6 p.m.: The Wanabees
Wednesday, Aug. 30 at 6 p.m.: The Gene Dempsey Orchestra
Wednesday, Sept. 6 at 6 p.m.: The Merchants of Groove
2023 Nay Aug Park Sunday concert schedule
Sunday, June 11 at 2 p.m.: Bill Kolata & John Lewis Duo
Sunday, June 25 at 2 p.m.: The Fabulous 45s
Sunday, July 2 at 2 p.m.: Jack Bordo, Jim Cullen, & Sharon Ambrosia Trio
Sunday, July 2 at 5 p.m.: X-Terra
Sunday, July 9 at 2 p.m.: The Ferdie Bistocchi Memorial Orchestra
Sunday, July 16 at 2 p.m.: Jung Bergo
Sunday, July 23 at 2 p.m.: CC Music
Sunday, July 30 at 2 p.m.: The Taxmen (Beatles tribute band)
Sunday, Aug. 6 at 2 p.m.: Jack Mead and the West Third Street Band
Sunday, Aug. 13 at 2 p.m.: Tom Hamilton Jazztett
Sunday, Aug. 20 at 2 p.m.: Phyllis Hopkins Electric Trio
Sunday, Sept. 3 at 2 p.m.: TBA
Sunday, Sept. 10 at 2 p.m.: The Stanleys with Jami Novak
Sunday, Sept. 17 at 1 p.m.: Lenoxville Community Band
Sunday, Sept. 17 at 4 p.m.: Clarence Spady & Friends
Sunday, Sept. 24 at 2 p.m.: The Music Room
Sunday, Oct. 1 at 2 p.m.: Gerard Mayer in Standard Time
Sunday, Oct. 8 at 2 p.m.: TBA
2023 Nay Aug Park special events schedule
Sunday, June 18: Father’s Day antique car show by Villa Capri Car Cruisers Car Club (all day, no band)
Tuesday, July 4 at 10:30 a.m.: Ringgold Pops Orchestra (Independence Day celebration)
Saturday, Aug. 5: Inaugural NEPA Latino Fiesta (all day, live DJ)
Saturday, Aug. 19 at 2 p.m.: Burning Roses Women’s Music & Arts Festival (all day, multiple bands)
Sunday, Aug. 27: Villa Capri Car Cruisers Car Club 10th annual charity car show (all day, no band)
Sunday, Oct. 1 at noon: Honeybee Festival sponsored by The Greenhouse Project (all day)
The free concert series is funded by the Scranton Municipal Recreation Authority, with additional funding from the city of Scranton, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the Lackawanna County Arts & Culture Department. It is produced by the Scranton Music Association and the Scranton Recreational Authority. For more information, call 570-561-7584 or 570-983-6485.
The name Nay Aug traces its origin to the Munsee, a subgroup of the larger Native American Lenape tribe. In their language, Nay Aug means “noisy water or roaring brook.” The Munsee settled along the banks of the Roaring Brook and were a peaceful group mostly committed to fishing and farming.
Nay Aug Park was established in 1893. Scranton’s ninth mayor, W.L. Connell, directed the purchase of two acres of land in the city’s east side from the Beckett Estate. The early years were a boom for the citizens of Scranton and the park. The population was growing and leaders had the foresight to realize the need for a place to gather. The city purchased five more acres of land from the Beckett Estate. Scranton received donations of land from the Watres Estate and Lackawanna Iron and Coal, which owned the majority of land the park now occupies.
There was an amusement park located on the eastern side. Luna Park opened in 1906 and met with a disastrous fire in 1916; it never recovered and subsequently closed for good. The land was incorporated into what is now Nay Aug Park.
Nay Aug began to develop in earnest in the early 1900s. Landscaping began and pavilions were built, as well as roads and pathways that stretched around the entire park. The bandstand, Marmi Pavilion, Brooks Mine, and Cleland Greenhouse were the first additions to the southeast corner of the park. In 1908, Dr. Isaiah Everhart presented the city with a museum to house his extensive natural history collections, including a large assortment of bird specimens. The Everhart Museum of Natural History, Science, and Art operates to this day.
Development of the park continued at an aggressive pace and began to spread out over the entire area. Nay Aug was growing and the citizens wanted more. The most exciting and favorite attraction at the park was Lake Lincoln. Developed in 1909, it was a dug out, dirt bottom pool. It had a tree-lined shore that utilized the natural stone shelf to encompass the entire pool. In 1929, a concrete bottom and a water circulation system were added. In July of 1967, two Olympic-size swimming pools were installed. The Walsh Swim Complex operated until 2019 and remains closed as it undergoes renovations.
In 1917, a zoo was developed, housing a large array of domestic and exotic animals. For years, Nay Aug offered the only zoo within hundreds of miles. The zoo has since closed, but the historic building remains.
Nay Aug continued to grow with a small amusement park. Karl and Ralph Strohl, who received the amusement park from their grandfather, operated it until its closing in the early 1990s. It offered many rides for younger children and families for over 70 years. A few of the most popular rides were the merry-go-round, a small wooden roller coaster called the Comet Coaster, and a miniature Lackawanna Railroad train. The arcade building once housed a dance hall during the 1930s and ’40s where big band music was performed. As time went on and interests changed, the building became home to bumper cars and arcade machines. Many family outings, company picnics, and social gatherings took place in the park, using the rides and picnic grounds for their enjoyment. The amusement park closed and the area is now a green space where weekly concerts take place in the warmer months.
The addition of monuments and memorials to veterans and various wars have been placed around the grounds. In the early years, it was not uncommon to see a gathering to honor veterans with over 50,000 people in attendance.
A rock-strewn gorge with a series of waterfalls is the centerpiece of the park. The Nay Aug Gorge is a National Natural Landmark. In 2007, the David Wenzel Tree House and a pedestrian footbridge opened to access parkland across the Roaring Brook, untouched for many years. The first of its kind in Pennsylvania, the tree house overlooks the gorge 150 feet below and was constructed by Forever Young, Inc. with public and private donations, setting the stage for additional tree house construction in other cities across the United States.
Today, Nay Aug remains Scranton’s largest park and historic urban green space.
Photo by Mike Lehman
