Final preparations are underway for KBBI’s annual Concert on the Lawn that will take place on July 20 at Karen Hornaday Park from noon to 7 p.m.

The concert, which began in Homer in 1982, will include an array of musical groups, KBBI general manager Josh Krohn said.

Jon Crocker from Anchor Point will open the music for the event. Other groups performing include Ayden See and the Good Companies from Soldotna; The Wet Spots; English Bay Band from Nanwalek; and John Bushell’s local Cosmic Creature Club. The headliner is the Roland Roberts Band from Anchorage.

Krohn said Ayden See is a great performer and composes a lot of his own music.

“The Wet Spots are a local punk rock, heavy metal, alternative rock band that features three local musicians and we’ll get our heavy metal fix together with them,” Krohn said. Their Facebook page introduces the group as “Slut Rock from the 59th parallel.”

The English Bay Band is a “perennial favorite” that’s been performing in the region for several decades, Krohn said. The Cosmic Creature Club is also a longtime favorite and features John Bushell (known locally as Johnny B), Dave Webster, Jennifer King and Jimmy Buncak.

The Roland Roberts Band has summer performances in music festivals all over Alaska and also recently performed at the Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle to kick off their summer events, according to the band’s website. This band has two albums available for purchase on their website, “All About the Timing” and “So it Goes.” More information about the group is available on their website at www.rolandrobertsband.com.

The stage for the concert will be set up on the lower field of Karen Hornaday Park, where the Highland Games also does a lot of their events, Krohn said. The upper field will be set up with various vendors including Kachemak Bay Recovery Connection, Homer Family Planning Clinic and several additional craft vendors. There will also be food trucks including Sirens, Shiva Boom and Dolce Luca. As of July 3, final details were still being processed and confirmed for that portion of the event.

Personal alcoholic beverages are not allowed on-site but there will also be a closed area beer and beverage garden featuring Homer Brewery, Grace Ridge Brewery, Odin Meadery, Sweetgale Meadworks and Bear Creek Winery serving locally produced beverages.

Krohn said organization for the event will be underway until the last minute of the event. At this point, KBBI is still looking for volunteer help. Volunteers will do a three-hour shift of various tasks for the event in exchange for access to the rest of the concert for free. People interested can contact Krohn for more information at josh@kbbi.org or call the KBBI station at 907-235-7721.

Tickets for the event are available now. Krohn encourages early purchase instead of at the gates where the line tends to get backed up, though it will open at 11 a.m. on the day of the event. Tickets are $35 per person and there is also a $65 VIP ticket that will include a pass and a concert T-shirt. There are cheaper ticket for youth under the age of 12. To purchase tickets online go to the KBBI website at www.kbbi.org.

Libby Bushell and Sharon Bushell dance while John Bushell (Johnny B) plays piano at KBBI’s Concert on the Lawn in June 2023. (Emilie Springer/ Homer News)