With this change of seasons, the Mother Lode awakens to summer’s heat and concerts that welcome us to visit area parks and more. Community organizations, chambers of commerce and arts councils spend months planning summer concert series. These free shows attract residents and visitors to the area alike, where crowds dance, dine on picnic dinners and even sip area vintages as they enjoy performances from bands from the Gold Country, the Central Valley and beyond.
“Music of seemingly any genre brings people together to enjoy a positive and often uplifting experience,” said Arnold resident Charity Maness. “While large venues offer great names, the smaller venues offer a more intimate setting with an eclectic collection of music genres.”
“The energy at the concert is always upbeat, no pun intended,” said Maness, who attends many concerts in the area. “I love the variety that is offered in the foothills and the extremely talented musicians we have locally.”
Dance in Tuolumne County
The Second Saturday Art Night Committee organized the Summer Concerts in Coffill Park in 2015. The first event, called the Summer Send-off Concert, featured the Janktones, part of the After 8 events that were developed to support the Mountain Performers Fund. Initially, there was a small cover charge, but now the concerts are free.
Amador County
TGIF Concerts
AmadorArts presents free concerts through the summer all over Amador County. The shows start at 6 p.m. on Fridays and listeners are encouraged to bring low-back chairs and blankets for seating with their picnic dinners. For more, visit amadorarts.org or call 267-9038.
June 15, Hanford Courte, 128 Hanford St., Sutter Creek – The Big City Swing Committee, a Los Angeles group, plays fun swing tunes.
June 22, Preston Castle, 900 Palm Drive, Ione – Local act Slade Rivers plays country favorites.
June 29, Detert Park, Highways 49 and 88, Jackson – Sacramento band On Air is a 12-piece outfit that plays all kinds of tunes with a horn section.
July 6, Pine Grove Park, Highway 88, Pine Grove – The Wicked Sisters plays a unique mix of songs in intricate harmonies.
July 13, Minnie Provis Park, Church Street, Sutter Creek – The Twilight Drifters play rockabilly grooves.
July 20, City Park, Main Street, Plymouth – Old Soles is a local act that plays Americana tunes.
Aug. 3, Kennedy Gold Mine, 12594 Kennedy Mine Road (off Highways 49 and 88), Jackson – Sacramento salsa band Orquesta Taino performs.
Aug. 10, Mollie Joyce Park, 23922 Woodfern Drive, Pioneer – The Black Irish Band from Tuolumne County plays lively music from all over the world.
Aug. 17, Terra d’Oro Winery, 20680 Shenandoah School Road, outside Plymouth – Local band Primitivo concludes the season performing Latin jazz.
Calaveras County
Music in the Parks
The Calaveras County Arts Council presents weekly Music in the Parks concerts that start at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays at parks all over the county. The free concerts welcome guests to eat picnic dinners before each show and enjoy the music until dusk. For more, visit calaverasarts.org or call 754-1774.
June 13, Copperopolis Town Square, 100 Town Square Road (off Highway 4 and Little John Road), Copperopolis – Stomp Box plays blues-infused rock ’n’ roll.
June 20, Brice Station, 3353 E. Highway 4, east of Murphys – Nathan Ignacio performs folksy alternative music.
June 27, Utica Park, off Highway 49, Angels Camp – The Bluesbox Bayou Band plays rousing Cajun and zydeco tunes in a swamp-beat style.
July 4, no concert.
July 11, Camps, 711 McCauley Ranch Road, Angels Camp – The Free Radicals play big band-style jazz.
July 18, Shutter Tree Park, Main and Center streets, Mokelumne Hill – The Bill Welles Band mixes folk and rock ’n’ roll.
July 25, Mountain Ranch Community Park, Whiskey Slide and Mountain Ranch roads, Mountain Ranch – The Automatics get the crowd dancing with blues, jump blues and rockabilly tunes.
Aug. 1, West Point Elementary School, Highway 26 and Bald Mountain Road, West Point – The Magnolia Rhythm Trio plays a blend of American, folk and bluegrass. (There is no alcohol or tobacco allowed on school property.)
Aug. 8, Turner Park, 287 Treat Ave., San Andreas – The Calaveras Community Band plays a wide mix of Broadway and Americana tunes.
Aug. 15, Jenny Lind Veterans Memorial Park, 610 Daphne St., Valley Springs – Freight features Grover Anderson and Jimbo Scott playing country and folk songs.
Aug. 22, Murphys Community Park, 505 Algiers St., Murphys – Larisa Bryski plays rock, folk and pop favorites.
Music in the Park
The Mokelumne Hill Community Historical Trust presents concerts at 5:30 p.m. Fridays at Shutter Tree Park, at the corner of Main and Center streets in town. The free concerts feature two more groups this year. Visit mokehill.org for more.
June 15 – Mondo performs
June 22 – The Wicked Sisters play a wide range of musical styles, with a community potluck dinner afterward.
Tuolumne County
Concerts in the Park
The Tuolumne Park and Recreation District stages free concerts at 6 p.m. Wednesdays at West Side Memorial Park, at Fir and Pine streets in Tuolumne. A farmers market opens at 4 p.m. before each show. Visit tuolumnerecreation.com for more.
June 13 – The Lack Family
June 27 – James and the Jukes
July 4 – The Rusty Rockers
July 11 – Blow Daddy
July 18 – Swing Gitane
July 25 – Weekend at Jimmy’s
Aug. 1 – Leilani and the Distractions
Aug. 8 – Josh Rosenblum
Aug. 15 – The Guy Dossi Band
Aug. 22 – Coyote Hill
Aug. 29 – Sky Kings
Concerts in the Pines
The Twain Harte Area Chamber of Commerce presents its free Concerts in the Pines at Eproson Park, 22919 Meadow Drive, Twain Harte, at 6 p.m. Saturdays. For more, visit twainhartecc.com or call 586-4482.
June 16 – Agent plays hits from the 1970s and ’80s from the likes of Journey and the Eagles.
June 23 – The Sky Kings plays a rousing mix of traditional country favorites.
June 30 – The Burn Permit Band performs a cool blend of blues and rock ’n’ roll.
July 7 – The Snarky Cats play Santa Cruz-style rock ’n’ roll.
July 14 – After Dark plays groovy R&B and Motown hits.
July 21 – Brad Wilson, a Summerville High grad, returns to play a rockin’ blues show.
July 26 – California Creedence performs rock ’n’ roll, paying tribute to the likes of John Fogerty and Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Aug. 4 – Madison Hudson plays modern country rock tunes.
Aug. 11 – Jana and Friends performs jazz favorites and show tunes.
Aug. 18 – Stompbox, a local rock band, plays at 7 p.m. at the Eproson Ballfield.
Aug. 25 – Threshold plays a groovy mix of blues and classic rock.
Sept. 1 – Timberline closes the series performing classic rock and blues.
Summer Concerts in Coffill Park
The Sonora Chamber of Commerce, with help from the Second Saturday Art Night Committee, presents free concerts at Coffill Park on Washington Street in downtown Sonora from 8 to 10 p.m. The events have no-host beer and wine bars available. Visit sonorachamber.org or 2ndsaturdayartnight.com for more.
July 14 – Threshold is a Modesto band that rocks.
Aug. 11 – Timberline performs.
Sept. 8 – Steven Graves Band
Oct. 13 – Popular area band Risky Biscuits performs.
In 2016, there was one concert with Jill and the Giants. In 2017, three more concerts were added, and this year there are five shows, each scheduled after a full lineup of events on Washington Street as part of Second Saturday Art Night.
Chains Required opened the 2018 series on June 9, but get your dancing shoes on for Threshold, a Modesto-based, well-seasoned band that plays on July 14.
“They contacted us,” said Laurie Lehmann, when asked how the Second Saturday committee located this particular band. “In fact, this year we got more requests to participate than we could fill.”
According to thresholdrocks.net, “Threshold is the epitome of a feel-good party band. The band consists of a tight trumpet and saxophone horn section, a lead guitar player that toured with Louise Mandrell for seven years, an incredible lead singer and the best drummer/bass player rhythm section in the valley. All of the members sing, creating great vocal harmonies.”
Lehman emphasized that great horn section, and the fact that the band plays 1960s and ’70s rock ’n’ roll, Motown and R&B tunes with a little swing and country thrown in.
The “doors” to the park swing wide open at 7 p.m. when the beer and wine bar opens on concert nights. The music begins at 8 p.m. You can make this a super sweet date night by spending the whole evening in downtown Sonora enjoying Second Saturday Art Night.
“We have art in the galleries, music in the businesses and dining in our restaurants,” declared Lehmann. “And if that isn’t enough, we are bringing back the Linoberg Art Mart for the second year. We close the Linoberg alley and invite a different kind of artists to participate.”
At the art mart, you’ll find artisans sharing, selling and demonstrating crafts that tend to fall outside the box of traditional art.
“The purpose is to attract artists who don’t see themselves in art galleries but are artists nonetheless,” exclaimed Lehmann.
This year there will be chances for hands-on fun; attendees can make and take things home.
“Each month will bring a new surprise,” Lehmann added. “Our community blackboards will be back, giving folks a place to draw or to share thoughts and feelings about our community for all to see in chalk.”
Summers are hot in Sonora, but as the sun goes down, the fun begins on the second Saturday of each month, topped off by the concerts, where you can dance to bands that simply won’t allow you to sit still.
According to Tony Kreig, the Concerts in the Park presented by the Tuolumne Park and Recreation District are the perfect way to spend “hump day” each week. All summer on Wednesdays, people gather in the heart of Tuolumne at West Side Memorial Park for evenings packed with music and family fun.
“It’s convenient and festive,” declared Kreig, the finance manager for the district that organizes the series.
Weekly farmers’ markets start at 4 p.m. along the periphery of the park, certainly another enticement that gets people to head to Tuolumne on Wednesdays. While the bands begin to set up and tune instruments near the gazebo, shoppers roam among the stalls and families gather on the lawn, spreading blankets to enjoy picnic dinners as their children play.
Many local bands play this concert series and their fan bases are delighted to enjoy the performances in the family-friendly scene.
When I asked Kreig if he could say something about one of the bands in particular, he declined.
“I love all the bands,” he enthused. “They are all No. 1. Trying to single one out is like having to talk about one of my children; can’t be done because there are no favorites.”
But as Kreig pointed out, many of the bands are local, so they come with fan bases, and I have to admit that I’m more likely to head from Jamestown to Tuolumne when Swing Gitane or Coyote Hill are playing at the park. I have an emotional attachment to Swing Gitane because that band played at a Valentine’s dance a number of years ago that was particularly meaningful to me. The music is danceable and melodic and is sure to pull on heartstrings other than mine.
Coyote Hill is especially fun because if you’re a Tuolumne County resident, you have likely encountered one of the guys in the band at some point: Stan Emmons, Steve McArthur, Rick Barlow, Bob Lehmann, Keith Evans, Richard Sholer. Of course, their musical fare – “Americana with a twist of Brazilian beats” – is also appealing.
The point is that this is more than just a concert series. It’s a community gathering, which just so happens to take place in what amounts to the town square in Tuolumne, giving it an old-timey American feel. While children cartwheel on the grass and area farmers sell colorful produce, residents visit with one another and listen to their musical neighbors provide entertainment. What could be better?
Kreig wants folks to know about one tiny little cog in the wheel this year. Parking is going to be a problem because the road on the ballpark side of the park is being paved, so give yourself a little extra time to walk to the park, especially if you’re carting chairs and picnic baskets.
And remember, we are happy to see our roads being repaired after the winter deluge that tore them up. We can tolerate a bit of inconvenience when it has to do with enjoying the pleasures of community and music.
The Concerts in the Pines is a Tuolumne County favorite during midsummer, when folks seek cooler temperatures than those sizzling at lower elevations. Every year, I check in with Christine Ravely, who is on the Twain Harte Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the group responsible for Concerts in the Pines. This year, she made a passing comment that grabbed my attention. She wrote: “Sheila Burmester and I host. In fact, we provide the raffle basket and do the setup, cleanup and announcing for the concerts.”
I know people come to Eproson Park in Twain Harte for the music, but Ravely’s comment sparked my curiosity about the behind-the-scenes folks who make sure this series as good as it is year after year. I asked Ravely what’s involved in hosting a show.
“Host duties include picking up all the stuff we need for concerts at the chamber office,” she said. “The host provides the basket to be raffled. Some are very elaborate, but the ones that feature booze sell the most tickets. The raffle is a fundraiser to help with the expenses. We also pass buckets, asking for donations to offset costs, most of which are paid for by the chamber and sponsors. The host greets the band and explains how we send the buckets around during the last two songs before the break.
“We always open the evening with the Pledge of Allegiance,” she added. “One of our regulars, Jolly Hansen, a veteran in his 80s, likes to lead the pledge. Once that’s done, we read the sponsor names and tell people where they can smoke – outside the main area, across the street where the butt cans are. The opening takes about five minutes, and then we introduce the band and the party starts.
“The band stops around 8. Or 8:15 if they are really good and the crowd urges them on,” Ravely added.
She went on to explain that the hosts are responsible for cleanup.
“We have a couple of high school boys who take care of the trash. That’s the hardest part. One time, the high school boys couldn’t make it, so I dragged the trash bags across the street to the dumpster. They were very heavy and one nearly broke open on the trip. I’m short, but luckily there were a couple of tall guys around who got the trash into the dumpster.”
That’s the story behind the lovely summer concerts we enjoy under the pines in Twain Harte. I hope concertgoers will join me this year in thanking the tireless folk like Christine Ravely who make the evenings work. And, by all means, offer to help when you see a need.
Back to the music. Ravely is most excited about the band Agent, which she said, “covers Eagles and Journey. I can’t wait! The crowd is generally baby boomers. They get up and dance on the green and have a great time. We have a couple of country bands playing this year, too.”
Whatever your music preferences, there’s nothing like an outdoor concert in the summer. Tuolumne County has three terrific series for your enjoyment.
Action in Amador County
The Gold Country seems to have more than its fair share of musicians who weave their own lives into the tapestry of the area, sharing their gifts with the rest of us through the help of arts councils and community groups. Concerts, and the musicians who make them what they are, seem to have that indefinable quality that brings people together.
AmadorArts has fulfilled its mission to bring the diversity of the arts into the community for 36 years, including the musical arts with its Thank Goodness It’s Friday, aka TGIF, summer concert series. This year, the series celebrates its 20th year bringing a wide variety of music to Amador County.
“Our goal is to have a concert in all of the communities in our diverse community,” said Meghan O’Keefe, AmadorArts’ program coordinator.
Those communities range from Pioneer all the way down to Ione, and shows are staged at a variety of venues, including Preston Castle, Detert Park, the Kennedy Mine and even Terra d’Oro Winery in the Shenandoah Valley. The free concerts begin at 6 p.m. and give music lovers chances to not only hear great music, but possibly visit parts of the county they might not have already experienced.
“Everybody brings their own picnics and beverages,” O’Keefe said. “Some people start setting up their chairs at about 4 or 4:30. So the evening can go from 4 to 8.”
The concert series has grown. Initially, about 50 to 100 people attended the free shows.
“Now our average attendance is at least 250, and our largest attendance has been about 430,” O’Keefe said. “Audience attendance is growing and diversifying, and every year we’re getting more families, which adds to the concert atmosphere.”
This year, AmadorArts has combined a new fundraiser at the Jackson Rancheria Casino with the TGIF concerts, giving concertgoers the chance to attend both free of charge.
“The event is on Saturday, Sept. 15, and it’s called ArtMix Amador,” O’Keefe offered.
The event will have interactive art experiences for families and adults, as well as poetry readings and other presentations. The evening will end with a concert by local favorite Darin Sexton & Highway 49.
“You can get into the event free of charge if you attend five or more TGIF concerts,” said O’Keefe. “All you need to do is take your TGIF concert program to the information table at each concert and have us sign and date it. Then, in September, take those five or more programs to the Jackson Rancheria and you’ll get into ArtMix Amador for free; otherwise, the charge for the event is $10.”
The music at TGIF shows ranges from jazz to country and even cowboy jazz to rock and everything in between. Most of the bands come from Amador and Calaveras counties, but there is growing interest from bands from outside the foothills. Popular Sacramento area acts and Los Angeles bands are coming to participate in the shows.
“The No. 1 band in Sacramento on the KCRA A List called On Air will be playing on June 29 at Detert Park” in Jackson, O’Keefe offered. “It’s a huge band.”
Knowing the arts council’s budget is limited, the band offered to play for a sizable discount, as did the Los Angeles-based act Big City Swing Committee that plays at Hanford Courte in Sutter Creek.
“Bands know they need to reach out of the city and they want to get their music into Amador County,” said O’Keefe.
Listeners get a taste of which bands are coming up next in the TGIF series by listening to the “Arts Around Amador” radio show on KVGC Hometown Radio the weekend before.
“We’re in our 26th episode of ‘Art Around Amador,’” O’Keefe said. “We feature local musicians and local artists. We focus on the importance of art education and the show can literally be about anything under the sun that has an artistic approach. The weekend before we showcase the bands that are going to be at TGIF that coming week.”
Those who don’t get KVGC Hometown Radio can listen to podcasts of the show at amadorarts.org.
Although the concerts are free, AmadorArts supports the program with fundraisers, and there are always chances for concertgoers to donate when containers are passed through the audiences during intermissions.
“The best way to donate to the program is to attend a concert and place your donation in the buckets that we pass around during the concert,” said O’Keefe.
The concert series gives music lovers 10 concerts to choose from, which is much more than were offered the first year, when three shows were staged.
“This is our 20th year and it’s a family tradition for the summer,” O’Keefe said. “It’s an easy way to spend time in our wonderful parks and it’s a great way to connect with community.”
Concerts in Calaveras
There is nothing quite like summer evenings in the Mother Lode spent at the many concerts in our parks, where the sounds of quiet conversation and laughter permeate lawn chairs and coolers along with strains of music wafting through the air.
With a gazebo, plenty of seating, grassy areas, shops and restaurants all around, Copperopolis Town Square in Copperopolis in Calaveras County makes an enjoyable place to start a summer music series (the Music in the Parks series starts in Copper every year), and then in September, the square presents shows on Saturday nights. Some of the bands performing are local favorites, while others come from farther afield (the schedule has not yet been posted at copperopolistownsquare.com). Listeners bring their own picnics or purchase dinners from restaurants and vendors at the square.
Another series that has become a big draw in Calaveras County is First Fridays in the Park, which offers free shows on the first Friday of each summer month. The setting is small-town Americana perfect at Murphys Community Park, with Angels Creek gurgling past a gazebo, a children’s play area and lots of picnic benches.
The Murphys Community Club has hosted the very successful First Fridays in the Park since 2007, bringing musicians to perform in the gazebo to a park filled to the brim with revelers seeking summertime fun. Area restaurants and wineries sell dinner and wine for those who don’t bring their own meals and beverages.
First Fridays in the Park was the brainchild of then-Murphys Community Club President Michal Houston, and has grown from the small crowds that it began with just those few short years ago.
There are no admission charges, but members of the Murphys Community Club staff a concession stand called Helen’s Hut, with proceeds directly helping to maintain the park, which is completely community supported.
The unofficial grandparent of free concerts in Calaveras County is the Calaveras County Arts Council, which has introduced people to a wide variety of music at venues all over the county. The Music in the Parks series the council presents each summer gives listeners places to relax on Wednesday evenings while enjoying music and community. The series has been staged for at least a quarter-century, and is appreciated as a fun way for people to experience different types of music and visit parks all over the county.
The series offers music on Wednesdays throughout the summer. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., every week there’s another band at a different location in the county. The music varies throughout the series, offering a variety of styles and genres.
“Music in the Parks has been part of Calaveras County summers for over 25 years,” said Kathy Mazzaferro, executive director of the arts council. “I always like to compare it to a little piece of Norman Rockwell, reminiscent of a slower time when neighbors and friends gathered at the town gazebo with a picnic dinner while the kids played in the background. How marvelous is it that among our many lovely locations we have at least three such gazebos?”
When searching for musicians to appear during the series, the arts council books family-friendly bands. Board members get ideas from all sorts of people, from recommendations made by weekly attendees to musicians themselves who approach the arts council to perform at future events. The bands mostly come from the Gold Country and the Central Valley.
“We bring a wide variety of music, from Americana to zydeco,” Mazzaferro added.
The Calaveras Arts Council funds the series through donations, sponsorships and collections made during each show. The council also occasionally teams up with community organizations to raise even more for particular causes.
“Music in the Parks is all about community,” Mazzaferro said. “Whenever possible, we like to partner with other nonprofits, such as the Mokelumne Hill Lions Club; members will have pie and ice cream for sale at Shutter Tree Park in Moke Hill on July 18. The Mountain Ranch Community Center will be offering its Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner before the July 25 concert in Mountain Ranch. (Hint: Get there early; they sell out very, very quickly.)”
Free concerts in the Mother Lode just keep growing, and it’s not hard to figure out why. There is an amazing amount of talent, beautiful locations and plenty of community spirit here, and really, there’s nothing like sitting down to hear some great music with friends.
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