"We are all professional musicians who are friends that really enjoy playing this music. It's entertaining and fun," said Paul Colombo of Honey Brook, a member of The Fortunatos, when describing New Orleans funk, which is the band's specialty. "When we (perform) it's always fun and kind of magical because we really all like this music. People will really enjoy it."

The Fortunatos will be featured in concert on Sunday, Aug. 7, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in Honey Brook Borough Park, 71 Pequea Ave. (Route 10), Honey Brook, as part of the Honey Brook Borough Concerts in the Park series. In lieu of an admission fee, nonperishable food donations will be accepted for the Honey Brook Food Pantry.

In addition to Colombo on lead vocals and guitar, the band consists of Ken McCoy on sax and vocals; Robin Church on keyboards, trumpet and vocals; Mike Bitts on bass; and Tom Webb on drums.

Concert goers can expect to hear New Orleans funk music from groups such as the Meters, The Neville Brothers and Dr. John, along with music by Santana, Eric Clapton and BB King. The band will also play original tunes. Songs that the audience may hear include "The Thrill Is Gone" by BB King, "Black Magic Woman" by Santana and "Love the One You're With" by Stephen Stills. "We come from this New Orleans funk base, and we add other songs we like to play," Colombo noted.

He describes New Orleans funk as very lively. "It's like Mardi Gras type of music (but) not traditional like 'When the Saints Go Marching In.' It's more contemporary," said Colombo. "It's very danceable; we encourage people to get up and dance."

Colombo emphasized that music is not just a hobby for the group members. "We all play a lot of jobs in different bands. We are not people that just play on the weekend," he said. "I work between three and five performances a week."

With the exception of Webb, the musicians met while performing at the American Music Theatre in Lancaster, where they were members of the pit band from 1999 to 2001. Colombo is also a music instructor and has been the first call guitarist at the Hershey Theatre for 20 years.

The band's moniker comes from Colombo's middle name, which is Fortunato. "It makes sense because (the band name) means 'the fortunate ones' (in Italian)," he said. "We consider ourselves fortunate to play this music and play with our friends."

For more information about the band, visit http://www.paulcolombomusic.com/the-fortunatos.

The final concert in the series will be on Sunday, Sept. 11, at 5 p.m., when the Bones Brigade will be featured. More details are available at http://www.honeybrookborough.net by selecting "Public Info" and then "Concerts in the Park." In the event of inclement weather, the decision to cancel will be made by 1 p.m. on the day of the show. A cancellation message will be recorded on the borough phone line at 610-273-2020.