By Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk

Grand Rapids Symphony

In the summertime, when the weather is hot, nothing beats good food, good friends and good music in the great outdoors.

The sweet, symphonic sounds of summer in West Michigan return to Cannonsburg Ski Area with theGrand Rapids Pops’ D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops in July and August.

The 24th annual summer of picnicking at the pops will be back with orchestral blockbusters and fireworks, with the biggest hits of 1980s featuring Starship’s Mickey Thomas, and with a musical mashup of Beethoven and Coldplay.

Special events include high-voltage merengue and mambo from Tito Puente Jr., and the quirky songs of the one-and-only Ben Folds, back in Grand Rapids by popular demand.

The Grand Rapids Symphony opens the D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops on July 12-13 with Classical Fireworks and The 3 Maestros featuring not one, not two, but three conductors. Music Director Marcelo Lehninger, Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt, and Associate Conductor John Varineau pass the baton and share podium for an evening of patriotic melodies and much more.

“It’s a chance to make the event something that’s ‘All in the Family’ with an Americana theme,”Bernhardt said. “I’m not sure that it’s legal to have three conductors on one program, but we’re going for it!”

The Grand Rapids Pops’ three-concert series, held on Thursdays and Fridays in July, opens with Classical Fireworks and The 3 Maestros at 8 p.m., 30 minutes later than then rest of the season’s concerts to allowfor the pyrotechnic display following Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture at the end of the show.

The D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops remembers the days of George Michael and Wham, R.E.M. and INXS with 80s Rewind! on July 19-20 at 7:30 p.m.

Hosted by Mickey Thomas, lead singer of Starship, the show includes such classic 1980s hits as theScorpions’ Rock You Like A Hurricane, Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl, and U2’s Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.

The Grand Rapids Pops pits classical music and pop/rock against each other in a mashup titled Beethoven vs. Coldplay on July 26-27 at 7:30 p.m.

Guest conductor Steve Hackman leads the Grand Rapids Symphony plus special guest singers inhighlights from Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony No. 3 juxtaposed against songs such as Paradise, 42and Every Teardrop is a Waterfall by the British rock band.

Capping off the D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops are two one-night only special events in August, one with the sultry salsa rhythms of Tito Puente Jr. on Thursday, August 2, and the other with the smart- alecky songs and whiz-kid piano playing of Ben Folds on Friday, August 3.

Puente Jr. carries on the musical tradition of his father, the seven-time Grammy Award winning percussionist and band leader Tito Puente Sr.

Folds, who appeared with the Grand Rapids Symphony in DeVos Hall in October 2014, led the Ben Folds Five to a series of platinum recordings and an appearance on “Saturday Night Live” in 1998. He’ssince served as a judge on NBC’s “The Sing-Off” and currently is artistic adviser to the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C.

About Cannonsburg Ski Area

Gates at Cannonsburg Ski Area open at 5:45 p.m. each night for picnicking and pre-concert entertainment, including free, kid-friendly activities such as face painting, crafts, and a musicalinstrument petting zoo. Kids’ Activity Area sponsor is Dave & Linda Mehney.

Pack your own picnic baskets and coolers or purchase food from the grill at the Cannonsburg concession stand. Alcoholic beverages are permitted on the grounds, and parking is free for concertgoers. VIP Parking upgrades will be available for a small fee beginning in June.

Concert Tickets

Lawn tickets to Classical Fireworks, 80s Rewind!, Beethoven v. Coldplay, or Tito Puente Jr., are $20 for adults ($25 day of show) or $5 for ages 2-18 ($10 day of show). MySymphony360 members can attend for $15 ($20 day of show). Active duty, reserve and National Guard members of the U.S. Militarymay purchase up to two tickets for $15 each ($20 day of show). Children younger than age 2 are admitted for free.

Members of the community receiving financial assistance from the State of Michigan or U.S. Military households can receive up to four free tickets through the Grand Rapids Symphony’s Symphony Scorecard.

Other individual tickets are $30 for reserved chairs ($35 the day of the show), $51 for single table seats ($56 the day of the show), and $408 for a full table of eight ($448 day of show).

Lawn tickets to Ben Folds are $40 for adults ($45 day of show) or $5 for ages 2-18 ($10 day of show).MySymphony360 members can attend for $25 ($30 day of show). Active duty and reserve members of the U.S. Military may buy up to two tickets for $25 each ($30 day of show). Children younger than age 2 are admitted for free.

Other individual tickets are $50 for reserved chairs ($55 the day of the show), $60 for single table seats ($65 the day of the show), and $480 for a full table of eight ($520 day of show).

Tickets for the 3-Concert Series, Flexpass, and individual table and chair tickets can be purchased through the GRS box office by calling (616) 454-9451 ext. 4 weekdays or (616) 885-1241 evenings; or in person at 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 100; or online at GRSymphony.org.

Lawn seats only also may be purchased through Ticketmaster at (800) 982-2787, or at Ticketmaster outlets at select D&W Fresh Markets, Family Fare Stores and Walmart. Tickets purchased at these locations will include a Ticketmaster service fee.