Tuesday night’s performance by the Pekin Park Concert Band marked the second time this summer that the group relocated indoors to escape the relentless Illinois heat, trading Veterans Park’s leafy charm for the climate-controlled comfort of the United Methodist Church’s Fellowship Hall.

Originally one of four concerts scheduled for the park this summer, the July 29 concert was among those disrupted by uncooperative weather—extreme temperatures forced two performances inside, while a third was canceled due to relentless rain.

From big band standards to patriotic favorites, the band offered a mix of classics that had toes tapping and heads nodding across the hall. With the acoustics of the Fellowship Hall proving surprisingly well-suited for the ensemble’s lush arrangements, the crowd seemed just as engaged as they might have been beneath summer skies.

With July’s unpredictable mix of heat advisories and heavy rains, the dream of open-air music was repeatedly dashed.

As the summer winds down, one final concert remains on the schedule: Tuesday, August 5. Skinner is optimistic that the weather might cooperate at last. “We’d really love to play that last one outside,” he said. “It’s been a tough season.”