Summer Concerts Done, Bluegrass Festival on the Horizon

We rocked you, got you dancing the night away and brought in gourmet food trucks to satisfy your yen for everything from sausage to sushi.

The city of Santee’s summer concert series – nine concerts over 64 days – featured everything from rock to reggae and country to calypso. Last Thursday’s concert by the Cat-illacs was the series finale.

Attendance was higher than ever, as the Town Center Community Park venue continues to grow in popularity.

The concert series not only provided a cool place to hang out during the hot summer days, it was a gathering place for the community to come together. Longtime residents renewed friendships and those new to our city made new friends in the family friendly atmosphere.

Many thanks to sponsors Barona Resort & Casino, Cox Communications, and Union Bank who made the concert series possible.

Didn’t get enough music in the park? Next up, the pickers and fiddlers are coming to town. That would be the Santee Bluegrass Festival scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 22 from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Town Center Community Park East, 550 Park Center Drive.

The festival features samples of fine wines, micro-brew beers, a variety of food and a chance to bid on donated silent auction items such as a Taylor electric guitar, airline tickets and baskets more.

This event is a fund-raiser to help support the Santee Teen Center, park improvement projects, and the Recreation Scholarship Program that assists qualifying families to participate in our recreation programs at a discount.

Tickets for the Santee Bluegrass Festival, which are $35 in advance or $40 the day of the event, are available online or at Santee City Hall, 10601 Magnolia Ave. Building 6.  Check out the web page to view the full array of silent auction items, food and beverage vendors and event sponsors.

Free Concert Features Caribbean Sounds from Upstream

Se habla reggae?  Take a quick Caribbean vacation (at least in your mind) by attending a free concert at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Santee’s Town Center Community Park East.

The amphitheater parking is located behind the YMCA at the south end of Park Center Drive.

The concert will be headlined by the band Upstream, which plays a mix of reggae, calypso and soca (soul of calypso). This high-energy, five-piece band will enthrall you with their vocal harmonies and musicianship.

The band, which has already recorded five of their own CDs, was originally formed in 1989 in Trinidad and Tobago and features two sons of the late Ras Shorty, who is credited with creating soca music.

Click on this link to listen to one of the band’s sample tracks called “Dance”: http://www.myspace.com/music/player?sid=22955403&ac=now

Click here to see video samples of the band on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/upstreammusic

Santee’s free Thursday concert series is produced by the Special Events Division of the Community Services Department and is sponsored by Barona Resort & Casino, Cox Communications and Union Bank.

Free Concert Tonight by Emerald River Band

The Emerald River Band, which plays country and classic rock favorites, headlines tonight’s free concert at 6:30 at Town Center Community Park in Santee.

Come on down and sit for a spell and tap your toes to the twang of an electric guitar. Bring a lawn chair, a blanket and all the friends you can gather. If you also happen to bring an appetite, you’ll have your choice of four gourmet food trucks.

Here’s an audio sample of what Emerald River sounds like: http://www.myspace.com/music/player?sid=23705143&ac=now

The free concerts, which are produced by the Santee Community Services Department, are every Thursday (except July 5)  through August 16. Go to our web page to view a map of the concert location.

Video Preview of Thursday’s Free Concert

Check out this video of the Destroyers, a 7-member contemporary music ensemble that is  part of the Navy Band Southwest.

The Destroyers will make their first appearance at the city of Santee’s Summer Concert Series this Thursday, June 14 at 6:30 at the Town Center Community Park amphitheater.

The group performs everything from rock to pop to jazz.

We’ve beefed up our concert series this year with some gourmet food trucks that will please your palette while you’re enjoying the free music.

Thursday’s food trucks will be:

• New York on Rye - A New York style deli
• The Dog Shack - Fancy hot dogs with unique toppings, batter-dipped or on a bun
• Asian Persuasion - Asian fusion dishes and cuisine from China, Japan, Korea, Mexico and more
• Kona Ice - Gourmet shaved ice.

Early Start for Blues & BBQ Concert

Len Rainey & The Midnight Players

You can come early and stay later for the Blues & BBQ  event this Thursday, July 21 at  the east side of Town Center Community Park, 550 Park Center Drive.

The concert, which features the Bill Magee Blues Band and Len Rainey & the Midnight Players, starts at 5:30 p.m. and ends at 9 p.m.

The first 600 people to show up will get free Blues Brothers-style sunglasses.

Out-of-towners can avoid the hassle of finding parking by taking the Metro Transit trolley Green Line, which stops about a half-mile from the park.

The audience will sit on the lawn, so bring a blanket or a low-profile beach chair, and perhaps some mosquito repellent.

July is Park and Recreation Month

There’s no more appropriate time to spotlight how parks improve our quality of life than during July, which is National Park & Recreation Month.

In Santee, the city operates five neighborhood parks, two mini parks, and a community park where folks can get outside to have a picnic, take a walk, swim, play ball or toss a Frisbee. But that’s just the tip of the ice cream cone.

The city also sponsors a variety of recreation programs, including a Seniors’ Club, a summer camp for kids and numerous instructional classes, such as jewelry making, karate or dancing.

Santee offers the best deal on live summer concerts (they’re free), held on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. at Town Center Community Park through August 18. 

If your kids are acting bored since the school year ended, there’s still time to sign them up for a week or longer of day camp. Kids who are into BMX, scooters or skateboards can have fun at the skate and BMX facility at Woodglen Vista Park. Summer hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The city also operates a Teen Center at Santee Lakes that during the summer is open from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. A monthly Friday Night Hot Spot event, for students entering grades 6 through 9, features games, music and dancing.

The Seniors’ Club meets each Wednesday with additional senior outings scheduled once to twice a month at various spots throughout the county. The next trip scheduled for July 12 is a sojourn to the city of Coronado via the passenger ferry across San Diego Bay.

Visit the the Santee Recreation Services Division to see the recreation programs being offered.  Check out the Santee city parks page for information on parks.

Celebrate July as National Park and Recreation month by visiting one of your local parks and see why parks make life better.