Rugby’s Music in the Park finishes 31st year
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RUGBY -- The Music in the Park program has been running in Ellery Park in Rugby for the past 31 years.
Shows are held Wednesdays at 7 p.m. during the summer, with about 10 shows per year.
Aug. 8 was the final performance of 2026, featuring New York musicians Sean Altman and Jack Skuller. They performed two sets: one honoring Simon & Garfunkel and another honoring the Everly Brothers.
Kathy Kirchofner, who leads the program, described it as "a way to give back" to her community. The shows draw weekly visitors from across North Dakota, including full tour buses of concertgoers, some of whom attend every show each year.
The program is free to attend, featuring complimentary ice cream and occasional low-cost burgers.
The Rugby City Park Board provides support with the Rugby Convention and Visitors Bureau, Rugby Hockey and other local organizations.
It is the only long-running program of its kind in Rugby, making each performance a special community event.
According to a 2022 report in The Pierce County Tribune, the program began through an idea shared by Kirchofner and Mark Carlson, the late publisher of the Tribune.
The city funded and constructed a park pavilion with seating benches in 2019 to accommodate live audiences.
The Tribune reported in its Aug. 3, 2024, edition, that singer-songwriter Kat Perkins performed July 31, 2024, as a featured guest. Individual shows draw as many as 600 people, with an average attendance of around 250.