As the temperature rises and the Island prepares for summer, the Featherstone Center for the Performing Arts is getting ready to kick off a new and diverse season of events.

Featherstone launched their Musical Mondays series of evening concerts on June 29 with a performance by Dana Edelman and his Slammin’ Band.

“Families can just come and spread out on the lawn,” said Veronica Modini, an assistant at the center. “They sometimes even bring a pizza. It’s great for that kind of thing.”

Jazz Thursdays, now in its second year, begins on July 9 and runs through August 13. Jon Zeeman opens the year as the musical guest for the first Jazz Thursday which will start at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for these events are $10, but in keeping with the family spirit, children under 14 are free.

The Flea and Fine Arts Market celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The market started up on Tuesday, June 30, and runs from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Tuesday until August 25.

Featherstone’s benefit gala takes place on July 6 at Farm Neck Golf Club. The evening will include dinner and a silent auction, where attendees will be able to bid on items such as Taylor Swift tickets, a two-night stay at the Harbor View Hotel or even 100 gallons of propane. The evening will conclude with dinner and music, capping off Featherstone’s biggest fundraising effort for the year.

Another major milestone for the arts center is the first anniversary of the Memory Support Group, which uses the arts to help patients cope with the effects of memory loss.

“It shows them how to cope and how art can help them regain some of what they might have lost,” said Ms. Modini. “The arts can help here.”

As part of its community outreach, Featherstone is also announcing the creation of three new scholarships for students to attend summer camps on the organization’s campus. Our Island Club endowed a $700 scholarship for low-income students to attend camp, and an anonymous donor recently funded a $350 scholarship in the name of Nick Thayer, a former printmaking teacher at Featherstone who died this spring. The parents of Grace McDonnell, a victim of the Newtown shootings, have also funded scholarships for 10 students to participate in the weeklong summer programs the center offers.

Featherstone will once again host a festival of poetry that runs all summer long. A highlight will be the return of Billy Collins to the stage on July 28.

“We really have a broad range of offerings this summer,” said executive director Ann Smith. “There’s something to do here every day and every night at Featherstone.”

For more information visit www.featherstoneart.org.