Tunes on Tuesday will begin July 9 at Chehalem Cultural Center

The 2024 Tunes on Tuesday concert series will kick off in less than a week and promises an eclectic mix of genres sure to satisfy the musical sensibilities of all who attend.

Five bands will be featured over the next month an a half at the free events annually staged in the plaza before the Chehalem Cultural Center.

“We have a committee that discusses what bands and genres we’d like to see,” Chehalem Valley Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Scott Parker said. “Then, we reach out to the band and see if they are available. This year we have a nice mix of Latin, funk, R&B, classic rock and ‘70s/’80s/’90s covers. Our goal is to be eclectic in our offerings.”

The 2024 Tunes on Tuesday line-up includes Pura Vida Orquestra on July 9, The Boondock Boys on July 16, Hit Machine on July 23, CJ Mickens Band on July 30 and Patrick Lamb on Aug. 6.

Parker said he is particularly excited to see crowd favorite Hit Machine, which will represent the perfect segue to the Old Fashioned Festival the following weekend.

“And it helps that Bart (Hafeman) from Hit Machine is a Newberg local,” he said of the band’s lead singer.

The number of concerts varies from year to year in response to several circumstances; the series had four concerts in 2023 as the Chamber of Commerce took over organizing the event from Young Professionals of Yamhill Valley. One concert was also canceled in 2023 due to extreme heat.

The Chamber of Commerce, however, is only one of the many organizations involved in putting on the spectacle.

“Tunes on Tuesday is a collaborative effort between the chamber, Newberg Downtown Coalition, Taste Newberg and an amazing assemblage of dedicated Tunes on Tuesday committee members and volunteers," Parker said.

Many of the accouterments of past concerts will be in place this year as well, including food and drink vendors Social Goods, Ewing Young, Duck Pond, Kopitos, Hutch and Lucky’s, Fryer and Ice, Kona Ice and others. A few art vendors will be added as well this year.

“We take it as a nice testimonial that they all wanted to come back this year,” Parker said. “We try our best to make the Tunes on Tuesday experience as smooth as can be for our vendors.”

Attendees can for a second year wear their support for the event on their chests as organizers have worked with the Newberg High School Tigers Den/Business Program to create Tunes on Tuesday concert T-shirts.

Parker said attending the event is a no-brainer.

“Last year was my first time attending a Tunes on Tuesday concert and I was absolutely blown away by the experience,” he said. “The community came out in full force and people of all ages were dancing, mingling, supporting the vendors and just generally having an amazing time. It is nice when people can gather in a safe space, put aside any differences, and rock out, man.”