Father’s Day will bring a special gift to music-loving dads this year, as the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra is slated to give a free concert in Festival Park in downtown Washington.

According to Catherine Glover, the Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce executive director, it’s PotashCorp-Aurora’s sponsorship that brings the symphony back to the Washington waterfront on June 15 for the third year running.

“Potash brings in the symphony, we bring in the stage,” Glover said. “The difference this year is that there’s going to be an outdoor reception because there’s going to be a band before (the symphony).”

While the concert is free and open to the public, a ticketed reception will be held beneath the cover of a tent on the Festival Park lawn while the Emerald City Big Band performs at 5:30 p.m. The symphony will take the stage at 7 p.m. Proceeds from the ticketed reception help the Chamber pay for the staging, lighting and other necessities to the performance, while PotashCorp funds the performance itself.

“We’re excited to bring the North Carolina Symphony again this year,” said Ray McKeithan, director of public affairs at PotashCorp-Aurora. “It’s very important that free concerts are available to everyone — especially for children, so they can get exposed to different types of music.”

To that effect, a popular part of last year’s performance, the “Instrument Zoo,” will also be back on June 15. Starting at 5 p.m., children can hear musical demonstrations and play instruments with the guidance of symphony musicians and staff.

When asked who should come to the symphony’s performance, Glover doesn’t hesitate.

“Everybody,” she said. “It’s a great way to see something that we won’t see very often in Washington. Without PotashCorp’s generosity, we wouldn’t be able to do it. It’s a big deal.”

But according to McKeithan, the global potash-mining company is dedicated to bringing cultural events to the communities in which it operates.

“Culture in the arts is one of the pillars of our community investment plan, along with health and wellness, education and some others, so we see this as a good fit with our overall corporate investment strategy and a good way to celebrate the music of our own North Carolina Symphony,” McKeithan explained.

Tickets to the Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce pre-symphony reception are $35 and can be purchased at the Chamber office, 102 Stewart Parkway, Washington. Ticket price included reserved seating near the symphony stage. In case of rain, the performance will be moved to Washington High School’s Performing Arts Center and the audience limited to the first 1,200 at the door. Fro more information, call 252-946-9168.