LEAGUE CITY — League Park came alive with music Friday as performers and residents gathered for a monthly event in the city’s historic district.

Hosted by the League City Folk Association and League City Historical Society, the free event features live folk music from several artists throughout the evening.

Although the event officially began at 7 p.m., the festivities started an hour earlier with Pickin’ on Second.

“At 6:00, we have the Southern-style bluegrass group that comes out, and they lead a song circle,” said Tucker Hart, co-founder of the League City Folk Association. “You can jump in at any time, and everyone sings along and plays with you.”

Hart said the event was created to help restore a sense of community following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“After coming out of the pandemic, we just noticed that the community needed to have that boost to bring people together again,” Hart said. “So, we decided to do 1960s- and 1970s-style singer-songwriter music.”

The night officially began with a brief history lesson about schools in the 1800s, presented by representatives from League City’s one-room schoolhouse. Afterward, the focus shifted to music and community.

Hart said the event’s connection to local history remains important to the League City Folk Association.

“What we wanted to do ultimately was bring attention to the historical society, so we started doing free shows down there,” Hart said.

The artists performed folk classics and original songs for the crowd.

“A really cool thing is that we’ve had a lot of people meet here for the first time, and friendships have blossomed,” Hart said. “Their families go out and do things, but they met here, and now their families are intertwined.”

Seven artists performed during the evening, including featured performer Kate Short. Short traveled from New York and concluded her tour with the League City appearance.

“One of my good friends, who is my manager, lives in Friendswood, and she just kind of keeps her ears open to events going on,” Short said. “She met Tucker, and Tucker had me play at a benefit last night. Then he said this would be a great spot to open and feature local artists, and I’m originally from Texas.”

The event is held on the last Friday of each month. Sign-ups to perform are held at noon on the first Sunday of each month.

More information about upcoming events is available through the League City Folk Association’s Facebook page.