IRONTON— “The Up Beat”, a student project concert series, and TV show created and produced by Ohio University Southern students Trent Pekkala and Jeremy Holtzapfel is having the first of three free concerts Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Shaffer Courtyard on Ironton’s campus.

Originally, a TV show about local independent music in the Tri-State area eventually turned into a vast multimedia project. The concert series will consist of 3 separate events, spanning 6 weeks.

The first event will showcase the likes of local bands 20 Ton Angel, from Wheelersburg; The Excitement, from Huntington, W.Va.; and Down in Round Three, from Ironton. Bands scheduled to play at the other two concerts will be named later.

The concert will be videotaped and will air on Ohio University Southern’s OKTV channel 25, and Time Warner Cable’s River Cities channel 24. The event will start at 7 p.m. at Ohio University Southern in the Shafer Courtyard.

Admission is free and open to the public.

Proceeds from refreshment sales go to the United Way of the River Cities. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets to the outdoor concert.