Over the last few years, Philadelphians up and down the Delaware River have bemoaned the lack of public access to what ought to be one of the East Coast's premier urban waterfronts.

Rightfully, shamefully so.

But sometimes you have to count your blessings as they come. In this case, one of the greatest - and, perhaps, one of the most overlooked - treasures along the Delaware River is Penn Treaty Park in Fishtown.

It's several acres of glorious open green, dotted with a grand sycamore grove to the north and offering an unrivaled view of the Ben Franklin Bridge and the skyline to the south.

While it is nestled between the aging hulk of John T. Windrim's neoclassical Delaware Power Station (built in 1920) and a decrepit warehouse, the park itself is an island of peaceful green that seamlessly meets the mighty river.

For Fishtown and Northern Liberties residents, Penn Treaty provides an expansive space to escape the city grind and enjoy a breathtaking vista.

Recently, the burgeoning neighborhoods that border the park have been turning to Penn Treaty as an ideal place to host community festivals.

Over the last two summers, Penn Treaty has been home to the River City Fest and the Fishtown Shad Fest. Both events showcased the spacious park's ability to absorb large crowds and maintain a harmonious vibe.

They also revealed Penn Treaty's potential to become one of the city's eminent live music hot spots during the warmer months.

Starting next Wednesday, Penn Treaty will indeed come alive with music as Waterfront Wednesdays - a free concert series stretching across six weekdays - kicks off with a Latin-flavored jamboree.

The result of a grant from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, the Wednesday-evening series seeks to lure people to the charms of Penn Treaty with some great live music.

Organized by the New Kensington Community Development Corp., the series will span the last three Wednesdays in July and the first three in August (July 15 to Aug. 19). It'll also cover a diverse range of genres.

(Full disclosure: While working as a volunteer with the NKCDC, I helped corral some of the bands into playing the series.)

Next Wednesday, July 15, will see Waterfront Wednesdays debut with the sounds of Charanga. The Philly-based Cuban ensemble will spice things up with an eye toward getting the crowd moving, starting the night with free salsa lessons from 7 to 8.

From then on, Penn Treaty will be filled with the jaunty, brassy ring of Latin beats as concertgoers turn the Delaware banks into an outdoor dancehall.

The following week, John Clark and the Little Big Band bring the old-time sounds of greats like Count Basie and Duke Ellington to the riverfront with their six-piece. No strangers to the tastes of Fishtown, John Clark and his boys have played Penn Treaty and Palmer Park in years past, and have a solid reputation for getting feet shuffling with big-band staples.

Closing out July is Port Richmond resident and national treasure Jack Rose. Well-known as a solo acoustic guitar man who dwells primarily in the realm of blues, Rose has been expanding his repertoire of late to include various levels of accompaniment.

When he performs at Penn Treaty on July 29, Rose will be accompanied by his longtime Virginia pals, The Black Twig Pickers, for a furious, rollicking take on old-fashioned back-porch acoustic blues jams. Think multi-layered rhythmic fingerpickin' bolstered by the hum of harmonica, banjo, washboard and howling country vocals.

Breaking the night in will be Watery Love, a new sludge-punk outfit that member Max Milgram describes as in keeping with John Fahey's expansive American Primitive style - electrified. It should be a chaotic mass of noise paving the way for Rose and pals.

The following week, much-heralded indie psych rockers The War on Drugs will headline, offering their chime-and-fuzz-decked Dylan-esque ballads. Still riding on the success of their stellar Wagonwheel Blues LP (Secretly Canadian), the Fishtown rockers have been touring here and abroad, playing festivals and other big shows for enthusiastic audiences. Opening the Aug. 5 set are Hunter/Gatherer, a folky coed duo who channel a cosmic pairing of Vashti Bunyan and Fred Neil.

For the Aug. 12 set, the pendulum swings back toward a more traditional center with Third Degree and Porkroll Project - two down-and-dirty electric blues bands that summon greats like Stevie Ray Vaughn and B.B. King.

As a series finale, legendary psych-folk outfit The Espers will play on Aug. 19. Recording again after a long hiatus, the six-piece ensemble - often credited with rejuvenating an experimental folk scene that continues to thrive - will play one of its first Philly shows in many a moon.

Introducing them will be theOubliette Ensemble, a West Philly troupe that brings a rocking orchestral approach to medieval jams, reinventing them and bringing an intriguing edge.

And as good as each of these shows promises to be, the simple fact that they will bring music-lovers together under the summer sky in one the city's most beautiful parks - for free - sweetens the pot tremendously. ¥¥

For more information, visit the Web site at www.penntreatymusic.org

Who: Waterfront Wednesdays featuring Jack Rose, War on Drugs, The Espers and more.

What: Six Wednesdays of free music along the Delaware River.

Where: Penn Treaty Park, Delaware and Columbia avenues.

When: Every Wednesday, July 15 through Aug. 19, from 7 to 9 p.m.