May 23, 2024 3:50 a.m.

In the KQEN Cultural Spotlight:

Riverbend Live! has announced its 2024 concert lineup.

This is the 28th season of live entertainment in Winston’s Riverbend Park. Shows begin Friday nights at 7:00 p.m. This year features an extended six-week season.

The lineup includes:

*June 28th – Vanessa Collier: She is a saxophonist, singer and songwriter who has won multiple awards as a horn player and for her blues music.

*July 5th – Chris O’Leary: A soulful vocalist, dynamic harmonica master and gifted songwriter who focuses on the blues and roots music.

*July 12 – Cris Jacobs: A gritty, soul-blues singer and outlaw country guitarist named one of Rolling Stone’s “10 New Country Artists You Need to Know.”

*July 19 – Cowboy Poetry and Western Music with Tom Swearingen and Joni Harms: Swearingen is a two-time International Western Music Association Male Poet of the Year. Harms has earned multiple honors from the Western Music Association and the Academy of Western Artists.

*July 26th and 27th– Riverbend Live! Youth Theatre presents: Schoolhouse Rock Live! directed by Umpqua Community College Assistant Theatre Professor Bart McHenry.

*August 2nd: Jumptown Big Band and the Newport Nightingales: The group is a 17-piece swing and jazz band that formed in 2012. The singers are heavily influenced by 3-part harmony, mainly from the 1930s and 1940s.

Attendees can bring their blanket or lawn chair. Food vendors will be on site for each performance. Lookingglass Brewery will have craft brew on sale for the concerts, but not the youth theater presentations. Picnic baskets from home are also welcome.

Complete information on Riverbend Live! is available at: www.riverbendlive.org