Anyone who ventures near the shoreline between Noank and Groton Long Point on a summer Thursday evening quickly realizes the vast popularity of Esker Point’s free concert series. The Esker Point parking lot is full; crowds toting beach chairs, blankets and refreshments walk from all nearby neighborhoods and a shuttle carrying more beachgoers runs back and forth between the beach and Fitch High School at the top of Fort Hill.

The series just completed its 26th season and this one was bigger and better than ever. Groton Parks and Recreation officials deserve much praise for their annual efforts that keep these fun, relaxing and free family evenings in a picturesque spot overlooking Fishers Island Sound thriving.

Free concerts are now a summer staple throughout the region, but when the Esker Point series began, outdoor music was a much rarer commodity and Esker Point itself was known as a second-rate swimming hole. Groton taxpayers contributed annually to get the concerts off the ground and sustain them during the formative years, but during one annual search for places to trim the municipal budget, public funding for Summer Sound Waves was eliminated.

That might have ended the concerts, but Parks and Recreation officials were not deterred. They devised ways to ensure the concerts were financially self-sustaining.

As such, now concert-goers seeking the convenience of parking close to the beach pay $10 a car for a space in the beach parking lot on Groton Long Point Road, while those who park at the high school and ride a shuttle to the beach, can do so for free. This season parking revenues in the on-site lot increased by $1,500 to $12,000, Parks and Recreation Director Mark Berry said.

Concert support also annually arrives via a small percent of the income made by on-site food vendors and a variety of business sponsors. This year free concert promotions on Hall Communications radio stations likely helped increase attendance as well, Berry said. Besides securing financial support, Parks and Recreation officials ensure a varied musical lineup skewed to family entertainment.

No doubt the logistics of ensuring a successful concert series takes considerable time, effort and dedication on the part of Parks and Recreation Department staff. But they’ve struck on a successful formula and the proof is in the crowds who cover the sand each Thursday evening from late June through mid-August. May 2016 prove to be just as crowd pleasing.