Through a series of free outdoor concerts, the 3C Summer Concert Series is bringing up-and-coming local artists and bands to Corvallis. 

On the nights of July 15 and Aug. 12, at Chintimini Park, the stage will be set for live concerts both starting at 6 p.m. that are expected to go into the evening. Open to both Corvallis and surrounding communities, families are invited to enjoy a night of music and to set up with picnic blankets and lawn chairs to watch the performances.

Sponsored by The Friends of the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library and The Friends of Corvallis Parks & Recreation, the two unanimously agreed to fund the project. 

“We’re excited to contribute to activities that allow us to gather in-person in groups after a difficult year and a half,” said Mary Buckman, the treasurer of Friends of Corvallis Parks & Recreation. “This is our first request to fund concerts, and we hope it’s not the last.”

As the C3-Corvallis Community Center works to make these community events a reality, Teri O’Malley, the recreation coordinator and program planner for the center, said that keeping people safe is top priority. 

“This was a challenging process, and we had to get creative to make it happen,” O’Malley said.

“My team and I planned the event to be able to be held based on extreme risk level Oregon Health Authority guidance. I wanted to be sure that if we offered this to folks, we could follow through.” 

Last week, the City of Corvallis released the names of two artists who will be performing for these summer concerts in the coming summer months.

The first group, the Joanne Broh Band, will be performing on July 15, and they describe their music as a “dynamic blend of smokin’ blues and R&B with a splash of funk.”

“It felt great getting back on stage,” said Joanne Broh, lead singer of the Joanne Broh Band. “We had a couple of very successful virtual shows [and] tried online rehearsals… [Now we’re] very happy to get back to it [getting back on stage]. [We’re] getting busy, and the audiences have been, as mentioned [before], so appreciative of live music again.”

Joanne Broh, who was recently recognized as the winning female blues vocalist by the Rainy Day Blues Society for the second year in a row, is known for her powerful, soulful voice which can be heard in her biggest hit “Wicked Cool” which charted No. 18 in 2016 on the National Living Blues Radio. 

For their performance on July 15, the group will be playing several of their originals as well as a sneak peek of the songs which will be released in their upcoming recording.

Any prospective attendees have been asked to register with their family bubble online at the City of Corvallis website.