Van Pelt Variety Show taking the stage for Concerts in the Park finale

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If last year’s Concerts in the Park performance offers any measuring stick, Sunday night’s Van Pelt Variety Show should draw quite a crowd inside Johnston War Memorial Park.

While the four-member Van Pelt family put on a five-star performance last July and drew upwards of 300 people, Sunday’s Concerts in the Park finale figures to be an even better show featuring more than just headliner Erika Van Pelt of “American Idol” fame.

“We’re going to do all kinds of music,” said Dirk Van Pelt, Erika’s father, who is no stranger to playing and singing in Johnston. “We’re going to be all over the place, and we’ll have several guests as well.”

Sunday night’s free concert is sponsored by the Johnston Community Center Association (JCCA), and begins at 6 p.m.

While Dirk does rock, his children – Erika, Sarah and Collin – do different kinds of music while performing with bands throughout New England and beyond.

“It will be primarily an acoustic show,” Dirk said. “The kids all sing with bands and sometimes do more intimate stuff like two-person performances. But we’re going to do all kinds of music Sunday. We’ll do a totally different show than we did a year ago.”

For example, Erika – who now lives in Warwick, and was a Top 10 finalist during the 11th season of “American Idol” – often performs with her boyfriend Ryan Faraday, who plays guitar and sings.

“Ryan will be a special guest Sunday,” Dirk said. “He and Erika work together five nights a week at different venues. We’re really looking forward to Sunday.”

One reason, in particular, is that because of their demanding schedules, the Van Pelts don’t often have a chance to perform together like they will Sunday evening.

Then there’s the fact that Erika is completing her second solo album, and her father noted, “she spent a lot of time in the studio working on it.”

Sarah Van Pelt, Erika’s sister who lives in Coventry, and her brother Collin Van Pelt, who now calls Newport home, all have their owns bands.

“It’s a pretty rare occurrence when we can all play together,” Dirk said. “And it’s a lot of fun when we do perform together.”

Sarah is now the lead singer for the local band Wayz and Means, while Collin is working with Rewind That, which so happens to be his own band. Come Sunday evening, Collin may just end up doing a duo with his girlfriend Katrina Fortier, who is also an accomplished vocalist.

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