NILES — The last time Irish band Kennedy’s Kitchen played the Niles Summer Concert Series, a tornado touched down two songs in.

Now, John Kennedy and some of his bandmates will take the Riverfront Park amphitheater again Thursday without a tornado but with a local nonprofit.

Vinewood Hills Miniature Horse Rescue will seek to inform concert attendees about its efforts as Kennedy’s Kitchen plays at 6 p.m.

The rescue was founded in early 2017 by Dany Gumz. Since then, she has rescued 20 horses from owners wanting to give their pets up. Of the 20, 16 have been adopted, two of which were adopted this month.

Gumz said she tends to take in horses from owners that were not properly informed on how to take care of a miniature horse. They tend to buy because the horses are cute.

“They get them and don’t realize how much work it is and how many health issues they can actually have,” she said. “Then, they need help, and that’s where we step in to try to get them fixed up and find them a new home.”

Gumz will pick the horses up and take them to her home on Chapel Road in Berrien Springs where she tries to improve their health while seeking better adopters.

“Most of the time, they do have issues, whether it’s health or behavioral,” she said of the horses she takes in. “A lot of times, it’s from lack of knowledge from the people that have them. They don’t realize that they’re hurting them physically.”

Typical injuries include untrimmed hooves and incorrect diets, she said.

Some, like miniature horses Rue and Spider, are either too injured or too old to likely be adopted. So, Gumz keeps them as sanctuary animals.

Gumz said if people are interested in adopting at the concert, they need to fill out an application and schedule a meet-and-greet with a horse. They should also have the proper land and fencing for the horses.

The rescue will also be collecting donations. Most of the nonprofit’s funding comes from adoption fees, Gumz said.

As the rescue informs Thursday evening, musicians will perform on a flute, mandolin, fiddle, banjo, guitar, bass, bouzouki and bodhran.

Despite the array of instruments, the performers only make up part of Kennedy’s Kitchen, Kennedy said.

The band is made of an assortment of Kennedy’s music students, family and friends. Some currently live hours away in other states yet come back to play every so often.

Like his band, Kennedy said the Irish music played is rooted in community.

Kennedy grew up singing many of the songs Kennedy’s Kitchen now plays.

“This is community music,” he said. “This has grown out of the Irish home.”

It was not until Kennedy performed in front of a small party did he realize how much he loved singing outside of a familial setting.

“It was an extraordinary feeling for me,” he said. “I didn’t see it coming. The last thing in the world I expected to be doing was getting in front of people.”

Since 1998, he has been singing with Kennedy’s Kitchen. This year, the group will release its sixth album, “The Whiskey of Truth.”

Tomorrow’s concert attendees have the chance to not only hear its music, but to purchase the CD, Kennedy said.

He said the concert series is a great fit for the band. They only play at venues where children would feel comfortable attending, he said.

Kennedy also appreciates the concert’s host city.

“I think downtown Niles is a little undiscovered gem,” he said. “The city has been working for a number of years to recover.”

For those attending the concert Thursday, Kennedy shared advice given to him from his grandmother.

“Don’t let the band have all the fun. Sing along,” he said.