The Summer Sundays concert series at Roosevelt Park concluded season 19 on Aug. 28 with Bob Dorr and Friends, along with special guest Jeff Petersen.

Originally called Bob Dorr and the Blue Band, the group performs rock and blues music using guitars, drums and a harmonica in each performance. In 2000 and 2007, Dorr was inducted into the Iowa Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame, as well as the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame in 2005.

“I was listening to myself on the radio the other day… it sounded good,” Dorr said as he walked on stage.

Before beginning the show, Dorr introduced his music partner of 41 years: Jeff Petersen. Petersen is a guitar player from Waterloo, Iowa, and founded the original Blue Band alongside Dorr. In 2015, Petersen was also inducted into the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame.

This series has been an event where community members can gather over the summer, whether they are fans of the music or not. As a way to give back to the community, members of the Ames United Church of Christ were there giving out free ice cream to attendees.

“This is just something we do as a community outreach for the church,” said member Barbara Faidley. “We’ve been doing this since before the pandemic; this is our fourth year.”

Dorr and Petersen have been some of the biggest guests this year at the concert series, and their performance proved that they deserve the praise they receive.

“A great evening, awesome music, best concert of the season. Bob Dorr is a favorite, bring on more music like this in 2023,” Ames resident Donna Vandehaar posted to Facebook.

The Summer Sunday committee gave a huge thank you to everyone who had attended over the summer, their sponsors and the talented performers.

“Every musician that I have talked to who has had the opportunity to play the Ames Roosevelt Park Concert Series just raves about the hospitality, vibe and venue,” Dorr said.

Their next show, part of “The Last Goodbye” tour, will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday in Cedar Falls.

Next year marks this series’ 20th anniversary, and they have plans to bring in some great performers for this celebration. Donations are accepted on their website.