This library rocks
Four Peace performs July 25 during the Music on Mondays Summer Concert Series at the Coeur d'Alene Public Library. The concerts go from 6 to 7:30 p.m. each Monday through Aug. 29.
Photo courtesy of the Coeur d'Alene Public Library
A crowd gathers on the lawn of the Coeur d'Alene Public Library to enjoy a July 11 performance by Cosmic Wagon. Music on Mondays concerts are held each Monday through the summer from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Kathy Colton and the Reluctants perform July 18 during a Music on Mondays concert at the Coeur d'Alene Public Library.
COEUR d'ALENE — Catchy tunes are catching on at the Coeur d'Alene Library this summer.
The Music on Mondays Summer Concert Series has amassed quite the following as local bands have entertained and serenaded audiences since the 2022 concert series commenced June 27 with Old Plank Road, which plays modern American old-time music.
The concerts go from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and are held on the McEuen Park side of the library.
"We’ve been getting over 100 people showing up for each concert," concert coordinator Char Beach, who works in outreach services for the library, said Monday. "There’s really a lot of enthusiasm, it feels really great."
The concert series began in 2018 when the summer reading theme was "Libraries rock!" The Monday shows have only grown in popularity through the years.
Beach, who performs harp, guitar, bodhrán and vocals with the Celtic and folk band Arvid Lundin and Deep Roots, has observed pleasant exchanges between the bands and the audiences this summer in particular.
"It dawned on me that, as a musician and performer, just watching, there’s the audience feeding their enthusiasm to the band, there’s this kind of synergistic thing going on," Beach said.
She said the greatest thing she's felt lately at the concerts is a sense of unity.
"Everybody is so divided and so passionate about certain ideas," she said. "What I've noticed is music bridges that gap. There’s no politics in it. It's about the music and everybody’s there together. There’s no division. That's something that’s felt really good to me in this climate."
Beach chooses an eclectic array of performers and genres for every musical palate, from bluegrass and country to pop, rock, blues and marimba.
This week, Dr. Phil and the Enablers, a local blues band, performed.
The Music on Mondays Summer Concert Series is free and open to all ages. Beach said performers receive small stipends from the Coeur d'Alene Library Foundation.
"But basically they're donating their time and talent to this series," Beach said. "They're not doing it for the money."
The series is a reminder of the many activities and resources made available by the Coeur d'Alene Public Library.
"The library is more than just books," Beach said.
The library is at 702 E. Front Ave. Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets.
Here is the Music on Mondays lineup through the rest of the season:
Monday, Aug. 8: The Rusty Jackson Trio
Classic country — Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, plus classic rock and few of Jackson’s originals.
Aug. 15: Arvid Lundin and Deep Roots (substituting for another band)
Celtic, Canadian, Scandinavian and American — With fast fiddling, rollicking rhythms and beautiful ballads, this band plays instrumental music and songs drawn from traditional and contemporary sources.
Aug. 22: Coeurimba
Marimba — Coeurimba performs traditional and popular music from Zimbabwe, past and present. Upbeat, dynamic rhythms and happy melodies for all to enjoy.
August 29: CDABrassx5
"Classic” brass — A quintet with a diverse repertoire. The ensemble includes two trumpets, a French horn, a trombone and a tuba. Its repertoire includes classical composers like Sibelius, Bach, Handel, Copland, Gabrieli as well as familiar patriotic and folk songs.
Info: cdalibrary.org/library-events/music-on-mondays
