Coeur d’Alene Arts and Culture Alliance announces summer concerts, events

Live events organized by the Coeur d'Alene Arts and Culture Alliance will return to Coeur d'Alene this summer, starting with a live Second Friday ArtWalk tonight from 5 to 8 p.m.

Performances and arts activities have been conducted virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic, which required the thinking caps of Arts and Culture Alliance members.

"It was our job to come up with creative ways to make things work in the community," executive director Ali Shute said Tuesday. "People at that time were stuck at home and needed a creative outlet."

Shute was pleased to announce plans for ArtWalk, the Riverstone Summer Concert Series and the eighth annual Artists Studio Tour, which are expected to take place as somewhat usual, with a few tweaks.

During events, the Arts and Culture Alliance is encouraging people to wear face coverings, respect social distancing, stay 6 feet apart while inside venues/waiting outside to enter and to stay home or not enter a venue if sick.

"If you feel safe wearing a mask, we recommend you wear a mask,” Shute said. “We’re providing safety tips, but we’ve left it up to the galleries about what they’re comfortable with."

Each gallery will limit the number of patrons allowed inside at once, Shute said, but this will provide opportunities for people to gather outside and enjoy live music while they linger.

"While they're waiting to be let in, they can be entertained by some of our local musicians who are willing to play on Sherman and Lakeside," she said. "That's going to add an air of energy and vitality to the community on Friday night."

She said now, with so much uncertainty in the world, art gives us hope.

"It gives us a creative outlet, which is like soul food," she said. "It's good for us. We need that thing to fill us up. I feel like we’re all just a little bit lost, and this kind of gives us a direction and purpose. And now, more than ever, we really need that."

The free Coeur d'Alene Artists Studio Tour has been rescheduled for Aug. 29 through 30. With 14 studios and 31 artists, it's a great opportunity for the community to connect with artists in their own spaces and to be exposed to the creative process in action.

The 2020 Riverstone Summer Concert Series begins in July with a concert every Thursday through August, and a special Saturday concert on Aug. 22. Groups will be encouraged to respect social distancing as they gather in the parks. Beer, wine and food from Scraps BBQ will be available for sale during the concerts. For those who wish to watch the concerts from home, they will be live-streamed on www.facebook.com/CDA.ArtsAlliance - the Coeur d'Alene Arts and Culture Alliance Facebook page.

2020 Riverstone concert lineup:

July 2: Jazz/blues singer CeCe Curtis, with a tribute to Mildred Bailey, a Coeur d'Alene Tribe American jazz singer during the 1930s, known as “The Queen of Swing.” Quanah Matheson, cultural affairs director for the Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort and Hotel, will lead a land acknowledgement to help begin the season. Opening is Pamela Benton.

July 9: Swingset, with music to delight everyone with Latin favorites, swing hits and a bit of jazz. Opening are the Weddle Twins.

July 16: Nu Jack City with a range of Motown, R&B, soul and funk. Opening is Brady Campbell.

July 23: P. B & Jam, a five-piece contemporary jazz ensemble featuring some of the finest musicians in the Northwest. Opening is Brady Campbell.

July 30: Max Hatt/Edda Glass. From Portland, this duo will perform award-winning originals and mesmerizing reinventions of the "Great American Songbook" and Brazilian classics. Opening is Hanna Rebecca.

August 6: The Powers, a husband-and-wife-led Americana and alternative country group from North Idaho. Opening is Jackson Roltgen.

August 13: The Van Paepeghem Quartet, a swing jazz band from southern Idaho that really gets listeners on their feet dancing. Opening is Renei and Davis.

August 20: The Barry Aiken Group, with contemporary jazz. His previous band was North Point Jazz. Opening is Scott Dodson.

August 22: Special Saturday concert — the Coeur d'Alene Symphony with Jan Pellant conducting. Weddle Twins opening.

August 27: Kelly Hughes, classic country. Opening is Ally Burke.

Info: www.artsandculturecda.org or [email protected]