A Lewes singer plans several free, outdoor concerts this summer to raise money for children’s advocacy services.
68-year-old James Gary performs under the stage name Jgar and has worked on Broadway, in films and on stage in Atlantic City.
His series of eight outdoor concerts in Lewes between July and October seek to raise money for various children’s charities that help LGBTQ youth.
“It’s really kind of fun," Jgar said. "It’s different than being inside and singing on a stage - more formal. This is outdoors in a small, little park in downtown Lewes; a beautiful location right on the Canal and a lot of people are walking by, they’re shopping, going to a restaurant; some people will probably bring some lawn chairs or they might sit on a blanket.”
Jgar says he aims to make the shows at the 1812 Memorial Park appealing to the masses as he sings romantic ballads, jazz greats, Broadway tunes and even pop.
Again, his goal this summer is to use those skills to raise money for various children charities helping LGBTQ youth.
“Well if anybody has been watching the news lately, they know how things have changed," he said. "You know, you go one step forward and two steps backward. So we think that we’ve achieved certain levels of progress and then you realize there’s still a lot of animosity in the world and there’s still a lot of hatred.”
Jgar says in addition to raising money for charities like Stand Up For Kids, The Trevor Project, Kids In Need Foundation, Glsen, the Human Rights Campain and the Children's Defense Fund, he hopes to inspire LGBTQ youth to make a difference in the world.
Donations will be accepted and will be forwarded to the organizations.
Dates for the concerts are July 8 & 22, August 12 &26, September 9 & 23 and October 7 & 21; all the concerts run from 6 to 8 p.m.
Delaware Public Media' s arts coverage is made possible, in part, by support from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
