STEUBENVILLE — Work at Historic Fort Steuben is never slow. Staff are typically working on events, visiting with guests, completing office work or leading tours. There is never a quiet moment, and that is a good thing.

The past month has been especially busy with school field trips. The season that has just ended included 16 school tours totaling more than 700 students.

It was a busy month, and we are grateful to all the volunteers who helped lead tours for students from across the region. If you would like to serve as a volunteer tour guide for school tours or help at the fort in general, contact the Visitor Center. Volunteers are always needed.

One of the most exciting events at the fort is the summer concert series, which marks its 20th season this year. Over the years, the series has featured a wide variety of acts.

Steubenville also has a long history of live music, with national and regional performers appearing at venues across the city. Documenting all of them is difficult because performances took place at numerous clubs, restaurants and dance halls, and records from earlier decades, particularly the 1940s, are incomplete.

In the early years, many national acts performed in Steubenville because of Pennsylvania’s Blue Laws, which restricted Sunday entertainment. When groups booked shows in Pittsburgh, they often traveled to Steubenville to perform on Sundays, frequently at the Capitol Theater.

The Capitol hosted many of the era’s top big bands, radio personalities and movie stars, according to John Holmes in his book Remembering Steubenville. Among the performers who appeared there were Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, the Andrews Sisters, Ella Fitzgerald and Lena Horne.

In February 1940, Benny Goodman performed a live show with his orchestra. From July 3-9, 1942, Tommy Dorsey played a weeklong engagement at the Stanley Theater and also performed at the Capitol Theater during a Sunday radio broadcast sponsored by the U.S. Treasury Department. His orchestra at the time included Frank Sinatra and Jo Stafford. Other performers included Sammy Kaye, Artie Shaw and Harry James. Cab Calloway was also remembered as a Capitol performer.

By the 1960s, Sunday entertainment restrictions had been lifted, ending the need for bands to seek alternate Sunday venues. Steubenville, however, continued to attract major acts.

The 1961 season at the Diocesan Community Arena was particularly active, featuring Buddy Morrow and his Night Train Orchestra, Johnny Mathis, The Brothers Four and The Supremes, followed by the Woody Herman Orchestra. Bobby Rydell performed with Bobby Vinton, a Canonsburg native who appeared in Steubenville multiple times. In February 1962, Chubby Checker appeared with Bobby Comstock and the Counts.

Other performers who appeared in Steubenville over the years included Eddy Duchin, Gene Krupa, José Feliciano, Lionel Hampton and Lil’ Wally and his Famous Polka Band. James Brown also performed in the city.

Local and regional bands were also popular, including the 006’s, People’s Choice, Universal Joint, Crack the Sky, the Fantasy’s, Court Street and B.E. Taylor. Wild Cherry, founded in the region by Mingo Junction native Rob Parissi, achieved national success with its 1976 hit “Play That Funky Music.”

Steubenville native Dean Martin, born Dino Paul Crocetti in 1917, remains one of the city’s most celebrated entertainers.

The summer concert series at Historic Fort Steuben is one of many in the region, offering residents a chance to enjoy music, community and summer evenings outdoors. Visitors are encouraged to attend Thursday night concerts at the fort or support other community series throughout the area.