Summer in Vancouver is an exceptional time for outdoor events, with music and dancing at the jazz and folk festivals, and Shakespearean plays at Bard on the Beach, there are many ways to pass the time.

These events are a part of the city’s culture and bring the community together, as exemplified by the The Musart Cultural Society, which is now in its 11th year presenting a seven-week outdoor concert series celebrating new and local artists while at the same time supporting a medical cause.

This year, the Cates for the Cure Concert Series is putting all of its efforts into helping one particular young musician who is battling cancer. Daniel Sallis-Lyon, a 15-year-old student at Deep Cove Music School, has been playing the violin since the age of seven and three years ago discovered his passion for the playing the guitar.

The series will run for seven consecutive Saturdays, from July 5 to August 16 at Cates Park in Deep Cove. Bands featured each week will come from communities across the Lower Mainland, including pop/rock indie groups, Pepper Sands, Empire Alley and The Scarlettes, and they will each donate one song to help compile a CD, to be sold at the festival. Proceeds will go to towards studio time for Daniel to record his music.

Although the Musart Cultural Society picked a particular foundation to support in previous years, such as the MS Society in 2007, this year they chose to personalize the cause.

“It’s a really great way to help with the community and see the change an event like this can have and the joy it can bring to someone,” series coordinator Sarah Mabberley said in a phone conversation with the Straight.

The festival has been a stepping stone for local rock band Theory Of A Deadman, known for their mélange of country, rock, and acoustic music. They were the first band to sign with Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger’s record label, 604 Records, and have gone on to release three albums including 2005’s Gasoline, featuring their number-one hit Santa Monica.

What better way to spend a day than with talented local musicians, while supporting a great cause. For a full list of the festival’s lineup, visit the The Musart Cultural Society website.