Ready to rock

Twenty-eight free concerts, four parks.

There's a whole lot of music to be played and heard as part of Handshake Productions' summer concert series.

The concerts kick off with Stagecoach West, a rock band focusing on '50s and '60s music, at Coeur d'Alene City Park on Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

"They are the best band I had never hired (before this year)," said Chris Guggemos of Handshake Productions. "They have wonderful three- and four-part harmonies."

Weekly concerts are held at Coeur d'Alene City Park on Sundays from 1-4 p.m. They are also held from 6-8:30 p.m. at Sherman Square Park, 316 Sherman Ave., Coeur d'Alene, on Tuesdays; Hayden City Park behind City Hall on Thursdays; and at Rathdrum City Park along Highway 53 at Latah Road on Fridays.

"All of the locations have a good variety (of music), and I try not to repeat a style of music at each location," Guggemos said.

The Rhythm Dawgs, a rock band that has been popular over the years, will be the final concert overall, performing on Sept. 8 at Coeur d'Alene City Park.

The biggest changes will be in Hayden this year. The concerts there, formerly held on Wednesdays, are now on Thursdays to coincide with a farmers market that will be held at the park from 4-8:30 p.m.

"I think this move will be huge for the Hayden series," Guggemos said.

The Hayden series includes David Raitt and the Baja Boogie Band, which will play blues music on Aug. 8.

Raitt is the brother of Bonnie Raitt, who has won 10 Grammy Awards as an American blues singer-songwriter.

Coming back and always a crowd favorite is Meet Revolver, a Beatles tribute band that will conclude the Sherman Square series on Aug. 20.

"What's fun about that is that they play all the early Beatles hits and the place is full," Guggemos said. "It seems that everybody is singing along with every song. The park doesn't have the best dance floor, but people still dance away. It's a great way to end the music at that location."

The Rathdrum series kicks off July 26 with the Dragonfly rock band.

The free summer concerts started at Sherman Square Park in 1992. They were added at Coeur d'Alene City Park in 1995, Hayden in 2000 and Rathdrum in 2001.

For maps, a complete listing of the concerts and other information, visit www.handshakeproductions.net.

Concerts will be held rain or shine. If it rains, the Coeur d'Alene concerts will move to The Coeur d'Alene Resort Plaza Shops, unless it's an orchestra.