June 6, 2022 4:10 a.m

In the KQEN Cultural Spotlight:

The Riverbend Live! concert series has unveiled its 26th season.

This year shows will range from Latin music, to blues and soul, along with the annual presentations of cowboy poetry and western music, and youth theater. A new feature, a Local Artist Showcase, has been added, to make it a six-week series.

Outdoor concerts are held at Winston’s Riverbend Park. They began in 1997 and were started by the late Dick Nichols and wife Mo. Concerts are free, thanks to the contributions of dozens of sponsors.

Concerts will include:

*The Bobby Torres Ensemble with Claudia Lennear July 1st. Torres has been honing his sound in Portland for twenty-five years. Before that he was all over the world, from Woodstock with Joe Cocker to ten years of touring with Tom Jones. He has been on the music scene for fifty years.

*LaRhonda Steele & The Steele Family Band July 8th. Considered “Portland’s First Lady of Blues”, Steele has performed on many stages big and small, including overseas and at the Lincoln Center in New York City.  She became part of the Oregon Music Hall of Fame in 2021.

*Danielle Kelly Soul Project July 15th. The retro dance party band performs soul favorites from several decades and is based in the Rogue Valley.

*Youth Theater presents “Tales from Neverland” July 22nd and 23rd. The plot is said to be full of adventure including games, jokes, fairies and pirates.

*Western music artist Dom Flemons is joined by cowboy poet and musician Andy Hedges July 29th.

*Local artists Neil Gregory Johnson and Dan Glide will perform August 5th.

Shows begin Friday nights at 7:00 p.m. Those attending can bring a blanket or lawn chair, but pets are not permitted. The smoke-free venue will have food vendors available, or patrons can bring their own dinner, along with wine or beer.

Go to www.riverbendlive.org for more information.