By BEN OLSON/for The Herald — It’s time, once again, to attempt to attain uniformity in the height of the vegetation surrounding my domicile. In less precise terms, I need to mow my lawn. I’ve got an interesting collection of grasses, weeds, wildflowers, creepers, lichens, and mosses growing where my lawn should be, and they all grow at different rates.
Sometimes the only way I can tell where I’ve already mowed is by the tire tracks and the lack of 2-foot-tall yellow flowers in my path.
Concerts in the Park
The long-range forecast for this part of the world indicates that the chances are real good that the free concert at Green Waters Park this Saturday, July 23, will not get washed out. Fun for the whole family, the music runs from Noon until 8:30 p.m.
Acts include Sharon Carner with the Dorian May Trio, featuring special guest Marty Weissbarth on sax and James Britten on congas. Also returning will be Satori Bob, John Bauman’s creative ensemble, and rounding out the day is Eugene’s own, Natty O.
Bring a blanket or your own chairs and get there early to claim a good spot in front of the bandstand. Did I say that this is free to attend? For more information, go to www.oakridgeconcerts.com.
Then there’s the rest of Highway 58
At the east end of our coverage area, at Odell Lake Lodge, the Song Dawgz will be out on the deck from 6 until 8 p.m. this Saturday evening, July 23. Gary has come up with a lot of new jokes recently, although there are a lot of ‘groaners’, as you would expect from him.
The Lodge has a full bar and serves dinners, both inside and out on the deck. There is no cover charge for the live music.
Down the hill in Oakridge, the Nomadic Nobodies will be the headlining act at the Deep Woods Distillery’s Insensitive Wetlands this Saturday, July 23.
Opening for them will be Naomi and Harrison, starting around 5:00, with the headline act playing until sundown, and then some. They were in town a few weeks ago at the pub and put on quite a spirited show. An apt description of their style would be Americana trashgrass folk music.
A google search for the Nomadic Nobodies turns up a treasure trove of YouTube videos and their Facebook page. There will be a nominal cover charge to get into the concert area. Fine Deep Woods distilled products will be served, among other things, and food will be provided by Buen Dia.
A weekend of music at the Crane
The 3 Legged Crane, a few blocks further east on 1st Street in Oakridge, has a lot of live music on tap this week, as well as some fine craft beers and ales.
I’ll be on the mainstage this Thursday, July 21 playing whatever tunes pop into my head, as well as running the open mic. Music is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m., but if past performance is an indicator, I’ll probably start early and play late.
On Friday, July 22, Dylan Crawford will be playing guitar beginning at 7 p.m. Dylan, originally from McCall, Idaho, lives in Lincoln City, and spends much of his time plying his trade in the Oregon coastal bistros. On Saturday evening, July 23, Peter Wilde and friends will be back playing an entire night of his original music.
Even if you’ve never heard Peter play before, by the end of many of his tunes, you will be singing along. Expect his show to start around 7 p.m.
On Monday evening, I’ll be on stage with nothing but my stand-up bass. I’ll be playing tunes that, if you don’t know them already, you should get to know them. I’ll get started around 6:30.
The Crane serves a sandwich and dinner menu and has beers and ales that they make on site, as well as products from other fine microbreweries. There is no cover charge for these music events.
On Highway 58 in Oakridge, the Lion Mountain Bakery will be featuring the song stylings of Broken Horn this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 22, 23 and 24, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. He covers songs from the classic era of rock, pop and country- from the 50s through the 70s. I’ll be playing my ukulele on Sunday morning, beginning at 9 a.m.
Early bird gets the music at Lion Mountain
I may be wrong, but I believe it is the earliest you can hear secular music in the entirety of Lane County. The Lion Mountain serves breakfast and lunch in a spacious, relaxed atmosphere, with no cover charge for the live music.
The Dexter Lake Club, on the east end of Dexter, will be having their regular jam sessions on Sunday evenings, hosted by Brian Chevalier. The music will start around 6 p.m. and everyone will have a chance to get up and sing or play a couple of songs with the band.
On Wednesday, July 20, I’ll be playing my guitar from 5:30 until 6:30, followed by Craig Sorseth, playing his song list of great Americana tunes. All the music is now taking place in the beer garden out back, and it’s a wonderful setting to watch and listen to a live performance. There is no cover charge for the live music.
The Dexter Lake Club has a full bar and serves a sandwich and dinner menu.
There’s a lot of live music out there this week- plan on getting out of the house to hear your favorite performers or take a chance and hear somebody you’ve never heard before. It may turn out to be the best thing you’ve done this summer.
George Custer lives in Oakridge with his wife Sayre. George is a former smokejumper from his hometown of Cave Junction, a former captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. and ran a construction company in Southern California. George assumed the volunteer duties as the Editor of the Highway 58 Herald in 2022. He loves riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, building all things wood, and playing drums on the weekends in his office.
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