ANDOVER — A local hardware store owner is inviting residents to attend free concerts from 6 to 8 p.m. every other Friday until Sept. 5 at the Andover Town Common.

Pete Coolidge, who owns Pete’s Hardware with his wife, Wanda, said this is the first year he has organized a summer concert series, although he has had experience organizing benefit concerts in the past.

“I usually organize concerts for free for the townsfolk,” Coolidge said Friday afternoon. “I decided that we needed something to do on Friday nights, and thought this would be a good way to do that. I started asking around town, and it seemed like there was some interest for a concert series.”

Coolidge said local musicians will perform at the Andover Common every other Friday from July 11 to Sept. 5.

“So far, it’s mostly musicians from Andover that are musically talented and wish to perform,” he said. “We have one guy from Oxford who is going to come up on July 25, and we’ve had a couple of friends from Bridgton perform up here in the past.”

Coolidge said his goal for the concert series is to “avoid turning it into a jam.”

“I don’t want to do anything like that,” he said. “I want to have something that’s a little more professional. So far, I’ve asked around town, and it seems like everyone is really excited for it.”

Depending on how the series goes, Coolidge said he would be interested in trying to organize one for the winter months.

The concerts are free of charge.

For more information, call Coolidge at 207-392-1028.

mdaigle@sunjournal.com