Portage Welcomes Summer with Music in the Park

Portage is a community that is very supportive and loving of its talent. This showed Tuesday evening at the first night (in a 12 week series) Summer Music in the Park at Woodland Park in Portage. Jim Bulanda and Harley Hehr were the performers that evening, and they had a large following that came with them. And what I discovered is that they are very loyal as well. A comedy group that is invited to this event annually, the comical group sure knows how to have a good time. I guess it comes with the 20 years of experience that they have performing with each other, and still laugh at each other’s jokes! That is true friendship.

"This is an annual event. Our goal is to bring the community out and have a good time," Terry Hufford Executive Director of the Greater Portage Chamber of Commerce said. “We're always going to start our year with these people.”

Bulanda and Hehr may be a comedy group, but their voices are nothing to laugh at! They have very soulful voices and they are a talented group. They have nice stage presence and showmanship. Their comedy is family friendly and they really put everything that they have, heart and soul, into their performances. They generally sing a variety of old classical music such as Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

"These guys are entertaining." Bud Hettrick, a guest at the show, said. "Their performance was pretty similar to their past performances that I have seen them.”

Between Jim Bulanda and Harley Hehr the vocal range is incredible; All the way from a low bass to a high tenor. You get it all in their performances. They pull laughs out of people like their trying to save everyone’s soul from boredom and they do it tastefully and very lightly. Their performances are just a great thing to watch.

The performance was free and open to the public. And food and beverages were available for purchase. The Summer Music in the Park series is a cooperative effort between the Greater Portage Chamber of Commerce, Portage Live Entertainment and the Portage Parks Department.

Click here to see more photos from the event!

To find out more about Summer Music in the Park, click here to see the Portage Chamber’s Event Calendar!