of free Concerts in the Park, are astonished -- and delighted -- with their runaway success.

Quite apart from the entertainment value, there is a general feeling that the concerts have fostered a real community spirit.

So much so, that the Bank of Butterfield, sponsors of the series, have intimated that they will continue to support the venture next year.

Says Executive Vice President of Personnel and Administration, Mr. Victor Garcia, "I would say that, given the back-to-back success of the concerts and the Bank of Butterfield Mile -- which have both proved to be great community events -- it would make sense to continue our co-operation with the Corporation of Hamilton.'' Mr. Garcia says he is pleased to see the revitalisation of the Victoria Park area: "It's come to life again, just as it used to be. I'm just old enough to remember when everyone turned out to listen to the British army bands. It's refreshing to see residents responding to the variety of themes in these concerts.'' He emphasises that his bank's involvement with these community projects "did not come about by accident. One of our strategies is to support community events in the best manner possible and we believe that the Butterfield Mile and the Concerts in the Park are consistent with that objective.'' Thousands of people, of all ages and from every walk of life regularly turn up for what has become their monthly, Sunday night date at Victoria Park. Under the sponsorship of the Bank of Butterfield, audiences have thrilled to a variety of sounds that have embraced gospel and jazz, calypso and big bands.

Now the organisers are gearing up for what promises to be "the biggest'' concert of all, this coming Sunday evening, when Rock 'n Roll 'n Lots of Soul takes centre-stage on the park's distinctive Victorian bandstand.

Mr. Roger Sherratt says that the idea for the series arose last year, soon after he became Secretary of the Corporation of Hamilton.

"The Mayor and I were trying to think of ways to liven up the city. Around that time, I received a call from Tom Lamont, senior manager of marketing at the Bank of Butterfield, who intimated that they would be interested in sponsoring musical events in the city.'' This led to the decision to stage a Sunday evening concert in Victoria Park, thereby reviving an old custom that had long since fallen by the wayside.

Mr. Sherratt says it was "pure coincidence'' that the bandstand, which had been looking rather the worse for wear, had recently been restored.

"We repaired the roof, re-painted the balustrade, installed electric light and Mrs. Vivienne Gardner restored the mosaic floor, so it was looking better than it had in years. And we realised that now we had lights, we had a perfect venue for a concert.'' The first concert took place last July and Mr. Sherratt says he was amazed that almost 2,000 people turned up listen to traditional brass bands, which included the Somerset Brigade Band, the Bermuda Pipe Band and the Bermuda Regiment Band, conducted by Capt. Dill, who also acted as emcee for the evening.

"Right from the start, we've tried to put on entertainment for everybody, so we also invited two of the Island's top gombey troupes to appear and they were a great success.'' Neither rain nor a brief power cut failed to dampen enthusiasm and on the day of the next concert (arranged in response to popular request), Mr. Sherratt says he was amazed to find several elderly ladies settled on the grass with their grandchildren, more than two hours before the concert was due to begin: "They were sitting there, reminiscing about the old days, when they used to come to the military concerts in the park. They'd come early to make sure they got good seats!'' The Corporations's first jazz concert found names such as Shine Hay ward, the Max Maybury Quartet and Legacy taking part, with face-painting for the children adding to the delights and diversity of the evening.

"About 3,000 people came for that and there was a fantastic atmosphere,'' enthuses Mr. Sherratt.

Christmas was celebrated with a special carol concert, with well-known soloists and an impressive list of choirs from all over the Island taking part.

"Now,'' says Mr. Sherratt, "it became obvious that we needed to do some serious planning. The Bank of Butterfield very kindly offered to sponsor a series of concerts in conjunction with the City's Bicentennial Year, so we were able to set up a programme for the year, between April and September, with the intention of including as much variety as possible.'' The success of this year's series would not have been possible without "the wonderful support'' from the Bank of Butterfield.

"When we first started, I was selecting the performers but it has now become more of a major production and the Marketing Department of the Bank is now responsible for the production arrangements and they are doing a marvellous job. Without their support, none of this could have happened,'' says Mr.

Sherratt.

The first concert of the series kicked off on Easter Sunday, with a Gospel Concert and Easter egg hunt for the children, followed in May by another massively popular jazz concert.

For the Caribbean Concert in June, the whole event was moved to Front Street, where an estimated 8,000 attended as part of the official Bicentennial Celebration.

Mr. Sherratt says that perhaps the biggest surprise so far, was the popularity of the Big Band Concert held last month. The Bermuda Regiment Band was joined by a military band from Danbury, Connecticut, and Piece of the Rock also took part.

"We also had a request from a school band that was visiting from England.

This was the Sherborne School Swing Band and they were a fantastic success.

They finished up with Jail-House Rock and people went wild,'' says Mr.

Sherratt.

"They were given a standing ovation,'' adds Mayor Cecil Dismont, who says that he is very gratified by the overall success of the concerts in the Park.

The Corporation is "pleasantly surprised'' by the fact that, no matter how many people converge on the park, there have never been any unpleasant incidents -- or even any littering. This, despite many of the "promenaders'' bringing picnic suppers along to eat while they listen to the music.

Mr. Sherratt thinks that this coming Sunday's Rock 'n Roll 'n Lots of Soul may turn out to be the major event of the year.

"We'll be having music from the '60s and '70s which will be familiar to a lot of people.'' A novelty of the evening will be not just listening, but dancing in the park.

"Mrs. Joyce Hayden, who organises dance evenings for locals and tourists approached us and said that she would like to bring some of her dance group friends along to help celebrate her birthday. So we're going to set aside an area for dancing!'' The Hamilton Lions Club will be running a mobile canteen in the BMDS car park and although there will be some seating and bleachers, Mr. Sherratt advises people to bring their own chairs or blankets to sit on.

The sounds of Rock 'n Roll will resound through Victoria Park from 6 until 9 p.m.

ATTENTION, MUSIC LOVERS -- Corporation of Hamilton Secretary Mr. Roger Sherratt talks to the crowds at a recent Concert in the Park. Garcia.