To keep providing free, quality entertainment for the community, the Cartersville Downtown Development Authority is seeking corporate partners to fund its 2012 Summer Concert Series. With the series costing less than $30,000 to operate, the DDA is reaching out to the local business community, offering contribution levels from $250 to $5,000.

"Every nonprofit [is] trying to raise money for their individual causes," said Sandy Lusk, special events coordinator for the Cartersville DDA. "It's really challenging because everybody's budgets have been cut back, and people who have been partners and contributors before have not been able to do as much this year.

"Every nonprofit, whether it be the homeless shelter [or] the Etowah [Valley] Humane Society, they're all trying to keep the funds coming in and people are competing with smaller purses this year. ... [The Summer Concert Series] costs a good bit of money, and we're trying to be very frugal in going with less expensive acts. Now we've always had The Tams every year and we are having them [perform] in June. We're trying to get the big names that bring in people but we're also looking at featuring local talent because everything's about local these days. So we've got some things coming up in July and August that are going to really feature some local [acts]."

Unlike last year, the Summer Concert Series is going to be held in conjunction with The Tom Clayton Memorial Car Cruize, sponsored by Advanced Auto, on the first Saturday of the month. After it is under way for one month, the car show will be joined by the musical performances from May through August. To be held at Friendship Plaza, beside the Cartersville train depot, the concerts will begin at 7 p.m. and feature the following tentative lineup: May 7 -- Terence Lonon and The Untouchables; June 4 -- The Tams; and July 2 -- the Jimmy Buffett tribute band known as The Parrot Island Band.

With Terence Lonon and The Untouchables -- a returning act -- being a crowd favorite, Lusk is excited that they will be kicking off this year's series. The band's song list ranges from "Save the Last Dance" from The Drifters to Garth Brooks' "Friend in Low Places."

According to www.terencelononandtheuntouchables.com, "The Untouchables were formed by Terence Lonon, former member of Bill Pinkney's original Drifters, with the insight to organize a band that could leave all audiences in awe ... This band was formed with skilled musicians and singers from all types of professional musical backgrounds; so because of the level of professionalism The Untouchables demand of themselves, you are guaranteed to be on the edge of your seat filled with anticipation. The demand on every member of The Untouchables is not just to play and sing a song that you may like or remember, the demand is to do it well. When the audience has left our performance, we strive for each one of them to say, 'They lived up to their name; that was truly untouchable.'"

For more information about becoming a corporate partner, call the Cartersville DDA at 770-607-3480.