Mondays at Monteith kicks off with concert band; River Rhythms opens Thursday

By Cathy Ingalls

Albany Democrat-Herald

Summer concert season got under way Monday with the Willamette Valley Concert Band kicking off the free Mondays at Monteith series.

About 575 people attended the show at Monteith Riverpark, and $402 was collected when the hat was passed.

More music is planned for Thursday, when the Celtic rock group The Young Dubliners launches the River Rhythms free concert series, also at Monteith.

The River Rhythms concert program is in its 26th year.

The music starts at 7 p.m. and lasts about two hours with a break in the middle. Food vendors will begin setting up at 2 p.m. and start selling by 5 p.m.

The Young Dubliners performs political tunes along with singing tales about the travails of life. Members play the violin, bass, keyboards, harp, mandolin and pennywhistle.

Before the concert, children can meet at their activity area near the senior center to make tie-dye bandannas, puzzle pins, buttons and murals. Pre-schoolers will make puppets.

Here are the details and rules about the concerts:

Food vendors include Burton's, Ice Cream Dreams, Cactus Jacks, Espresso on the Move, DaJoys Kettle Corn, Rice Plate, Thu Tran and Taco El Momo.

People can begin setting up chairs behind the blanket area at any time on Thursday. The blanket run begins at 5:30 p.m. No one may put blankets in front of the stage until that time.

No dogs are allowed in the park during concert activities, and smoking is only allowed behind the senior center.

The free trolley is operating again this year. The trolley starts running at 5 p.m. and makes a circuit every 30 minutes. After the concert, the trolley runs until there are no more riders.

Stops are at Fifth and Elm, Ninth and Elm, Fifth and Calapooia, Ninth and Calapooia, Second and Washington, and Second and Broadalbin.

Those arriving either by bicycle or skateboard can make use of valet parking starting at 5:30 p.m.

Handicapped parking is in the Lepman lot, which is behind the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce, the same as last year.

Next week there is no concert at the park. Instead, on July 16, Joe Nichols will perform as part of the Linn County Fair. He sings about loss, victory, depression, grit, love and fighting. Nichols, 30, is a native of Rogers, Ark.

The concert starts at 8:30 p.m. on the main stage. Entry to the concert is free with paid admission, however reserved seating tickets can be purchased for an additional $15. Those seats are 35 feet from the stage.

Parking is $3.

Concerts return to Monteith Riverpark the following week when country singer Chuck Wicks performs on July 23. The remaining shows are The Coats on July 30, an a cappella group from Seattle; Ricard Lemvo on Aug. 6, performing a blend of Afro-Cuban rhythms with pan-African styles; and The Pablo Cruise Quartet on Aug. 13, with it "honest, real, down-to-earth vocals accompanied by elegant, infectious grooves."

The concerts at Mondays at Monteith are more relaxed than the Thursday performances and fewer people attend. The artists generally are based in the Northwest and the music is not as loud.

The shows begin at 7 p.m. and end about 8:30. Food is available at each concert.

Next Monday is The Cheeseburgers, which perform a tribute to Jimmy Buffet. Puttin' On the Bitz performs July 27, the Willamette Master Chorus from Salem on Aug. 3, and David Valdez and his Latin quartet will be on hand on Aug. 10.