Greater Newberg community – it’s time to don your dancing shoes.
The 2024 installment of Tunes on Tuesday will begin in early July and continue for a month, featuring five bands cranking out an eclectic mix of genres in the plaza before the Chehalem Cultural Center.
Scott Parker, executive director of the Chehalem Valley Chamber of Commerce, explained the process by which the bands are chosen each year.
“We have a committee that discusses what bands and genres we’d like to see,” he said in an email. “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 number of concerts, which Parker said is wholly paid for by sponsorships and vendor fees, has varied from year to year in response to several circumstances.
“Last year we only scheduled four concerts as we wanted to make sure we did not take on too much in our first year taking the reins from Young Professionals of Yamhill Valley — (also) one concert was canceled due to insane heat in August,” he said. “This year we are going to have five concerts in a row. … Pre-COVID I think that there were between five and seven concerts.”
Parker further explained that although the Chamber of Commerce is the “umbrella” under which Tunes on Tuesday is covered, many other entities join the effort to stage the event.
“Meaning we procure the permits, insurance, band contracts and things like that,” he said. “But let it be known for all to hear that 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.”
It’s a serious undertaking.
“It requires a lot of meetings and logistics,” Parker said. “There are many permits required, street closures, and it takes a lot of hours from our volunteers. We start meeting at the beginning of the year.”
Much of the accouterments of past concerts will be in place this year as well, Parker said, 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.”
For the second consecutive year, attendees can wear their support for the event on their chests as organizers have been working with the Newberg High School Tigers Den/Business program to create Tunes on Tuesday concert T-shirts.
Why someone should attend one or all of the Tunes on Tuesday concerts this year is obvious, Parker exclaimed.
“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.”
Parker said he is particularly excited to see crowd favorite Hit Machine on July 23, 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.
Those wishing to assist in the effort, which will earn volunteers a T-shirt and food, can sign up at tiny.cc/7bs0yz .
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