QUESTION: We’re visiting the area, and we’ve been amazed by all the free concerts — downtown and elsewhere. Does the city pay for all this entertainment?

ANSWER: No!

In fact, musicians from all over the Northwest play for nothing here — in return for kayaking lessons.

Yeah, right, we’re kidding about that part, but serious that neither the city nor county pay a dime for the tsunami of concerts that seems to rumble along almost every summer night.

But if you want to know who’s actually setting up all this music, take a deep breath. We’ll be here for a wee bit.

Bottom line: There are a lot of folks involved.

The godfather of the free concert scene, if you will, must be Chris Guggemos, who runs Handshake Productions and has produced every type of entertainment spectacle around the Inland Northwest for, for...

“Look, just say this ain’t my first rodeo,” Guggemos said.

Nope, not even in Kootenai County.

Chris has been doing downtown concerts in Coeur d’Alene (Tuesday evenings) since 1992. The events became so popular that he had to branch out — beginning music in City Park at Independence Point (Sunday afternoons) three years later and then in Hayden (Thursday evenings) five years after that.

Overall, Handshake offered 24 concerts this summer, featuring 20 different acts.

“We don’t charge and we don’t pass the hat,” Guggemos said. “Our revenue comes from sponsors and miscellaneous contributions.”

One of those sponsors is the Coeur d’Alene Downtown Association.

Meanwhile, music now has sprung up in other locations.

The Coeur d’Alene Arts & Culture Alliance produced nine concerts at Riverstone during July and August this year.

“We get our acts through sponsors, too,” said Ali Shute, executive director of the Alliance. “We make up flyers and have a social media presence.

“We’re also kind of an umbrella group for other cultural events, like the Art Walk and Music Walk.

“We support other things in our newsletters and online, like Art on the Green (the all-purpose, annual entertainment extravaganza held on the North Idaho College campus).”

Art on the Green is stitched together spectacularly by the Citizens Council for the Arts.

If you’re thinking that must be more music and festivities than one mid-size city can handle, locals know you’d be wrong.

For $5, you can rock it at “Live After 5” on Wednesday nights in McEuen Park — an event run by Tyler Davis.

If you loved his Sixth and Sherman rock-outs, no problem — “Live at Parkside” is still cooking there (six concerts this summer) under new management.

Oh, and we haven’t even mentioned ticketed shows of all types at the Kroc Center. Slap your hand if you missed “Million Dollar Quartet.”

For all these types of music available each summer, which would you guess is the most popular?

Anyone?

“It’s big band swing music, no contest,” Guggemos said. “Year after year. Isn’t that something?”

You just lost that bet.