Kick back with the Wailers at Wolf Lake show in July

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A taste of the tropics will be served up by the Wailers at Wolf Lake Memorial Park in Hammond. Steeped in rich reggae history, the Wailers perform Saturday, July 9, at the park’s stylish pavilion that debuted last year. | Photo provided

Updated: January 23, 2012 2:37AM

How about some sun-splashed jams?

Read on.

The Pavilion at Wolf Lake will roll out “The Ultimate Reggae Show featuring The Wailers.”

The outdoor concert is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 9, at Wolf Lake Memorial Park, Calumet Avenue and 122nd Street, Hammond. Fresh Hops is the opening act.

Aside from their work with the legendary Bob Marley, the Wailers also have played/performed with Sting and Stevie Wonder as well as reggae icon Peter Tosh.

The nucleus of the Wailers formed in 1969 when Marley, Tosh and Bunny Wailer recruited the Barrett brothers — Aston and Carlton — to play on some tunes.

It’s good to see reggae given the stage at a major venue like the Wolf Lake Pavilion, which is an impressive entertainment structure that debuted last year.

When it comes to live music, Northwest Indiana doesn’t devote much time to reggae, so its’s nice to see Jamaican-style sounds coming to Wolf Lake’s shoreline.

General-admission tickets to see the Wailers in Hammond are available through Ticketmaster — www.ticketmaster.com — and its outlets. Tickets are $20. Ticketmaster adds a $2 service fee to the $20 ticket. Tickets at the gate can only be purchased with cash the day of the show.

Swing, baby, swing

The big band era of the ’30s and ’40s is tirelessly kept alive by the Glenn Miller Orchestra. The orchestra is known for a heavy-duty touring schedule.

One of its stops is coming up at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 21, at the Munster High School auditorium, 8808 Columbia Ave. A tightly-crafted unit, the Glenn Miller Orchestra trots out nostalgic fare like “Tuxedo Junction” and Moonlight Serenade.”

Tickets for the Munster show go on sale to the general public Friday, June 17. Prices are $27.50 and $35.50. Group discounts are available, with $5 off per ticket for groups of 10 or more.

Call 938-9001 for details.

By the way, the Munster High concert likewise will feature Charlie Blum & Friends. Blum is a solid standards vocalist who also happens to be the president and chief executive officer of the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville.

‘Christmas’ tryouts

Children between the ages of 8 and 13 can audition for a national tour of “A Christmas Story, The Musical!” — an adaptation of the 1983 movie “A Christmas Story,” which sprang from the creative mind of writer and Hammond native Jean Shepherd.

Auditions are set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, June 27, at Chicago Theatre Downstairs, which — according to a press release — is just south of Chicago Theatre.

The Chicago Theatre is at 175 N. State St. in the Windy City. Visit www.achristmasstorythemusical.com/casting/ for more information.

“A Christmas Story, The Musical!” has a December engagement at the Chicago Theatre.

Bob Kostanczuk talks entertainment with Steve “The Preacher” Glover from 12:15 to 1 p.m. each Friday on WJOB-AM (1230) and online at WJOB1230.com.