Samuel Music Debuts New Look At Free Block Party Event Aug. 26

Online, August 19, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Samuel Music Co., a full-service retail music company, is proud to announce that after more than 50 years in business, it has renovated each of its three stores to effectively meet the needs of its customers. In celebration, the public is invited to attend a free block party event Friday, August 26 at 5 p.m. at both the Effingham and Springfield stores.

Attendees at both stores will enjoy a family friendly evening of food, music and activities. The party will include carnival-style stations with musical activities including a band instrument petting zoo, piano painting, and a music Olympics competition. Food will be sold with all proceeds to benefit area school music programs.

"There is no greater way to celebrate a major milestone than with music," said Liz Emmerich, Regional Manager of Samuel Music Co. "At SMC, we strive to encourage everyone in the community to actively participate in music making. Our free block party event speaks to our mission to engage the community through music, and the food fundraiser is a great way to help support music in the schools."

In Effingham, students, parents and friends from area K-12 schools are encouraged to wear their school's logo to the event. The three schools with the largest number of attendees in school apparel will receive funds to support their school's music program. Attendees can also enter for the chance to win a pair of tickets to see Miranda Lambert live in concert.

In Springfield, Elizabeth Eckert, Hollywood round finalist on American Idol Season 7, will get the party started with a meet and greet session. Local bands will also be performing throughout the evening in both locations. The schedule of performances is as follows:

Effingham
5:00 p.m. - Kickoff with Effingham High School Band performing in SMC's parking lot
5:30 p.m. - Performance by Andy Rueter, 2011 Texaco Country Showdown Winner
6:15 p.m. - Performance by SMC's Summer Camp Jammerz
7:00 p.m. - Performance by "Get Shorty"
7:30 p.m. - Performance by FACE orchestra
8:15 p.m. - Rooftop performance by SMC employees covering The Beatles

Springfield
5:00 p.m. - Meet and Great with Elizabeth Eckert
5:30 p.m. - In-store performance by Elizabeth Eckert
6:30 p.m. - CD signing with Elizabeth Eckert
7:00 p.m. - Outdoor performance by ZZ Trip
7:30 p.m. - In-store performance by Micah Walk

In case of inclement weather, all events will be moved indoors.

For directions or to learn more about Samuel Music's renovations, visit www.samuelmusic.com.

Samuel Music
Samuel Music is a full-service retail music company serving Central and Southern Illinois. The company is dedicated to providing quality musical instruments, rentals, music lessons, sheet music, sound installations and repair services. With stores in Champaign, Effingham and Springfield, Samuel Music is currently listed by NAMM as one of the top 100 music retailers in the US. For more information, visit www.samuelmusic.com.