Special to the Times Vedette
Some returning favorites and great new acts comprise the third season of the Iowa Arboretum and Gardens’ Tunes in the Trees concert series. Performances are scheduled for the second Tuesday evening each month this summer — June 11, July 9, Aug. 13 and Sept. 10 — from 6-8 p.m. at the Arboretum’s Beckwith Grand Pavilion in Madrid .https://iowaarboretum.org/events/
Food and ice cream trucks and cash bar service begins at 5 p.m. for each concert. Tickets for the concerts are $5 for Arboretum members, $10 for non-members and children 12 and younger are free.
“As an added attraction for young families, the Arboretum’s new $2 million Dean and Adele Bowden Treehouse Village attraction offers play structures, treehouses and trails in a wooded setting for fun and exploration before the concert,” said Linda Grieve, Arboretum board member and chair of the series. “The Arboretum is just a perfect venue for an evening of fun, food and great music with family and friends in a serene natural setting.”
For more on Treehouse Village, opening in early summer, visit www.iowaarboretum.org
2024 Season: Tunes in the Trees
June 11 – Return of concert favorite 18-year-old singer-songwriter Carter Guse (carterguse.com). Iowa native and songwriting student at Belmont University in Nashville, Guse performs hits from the 1950s to today spanning the country, gospel, pop and rock and roll genres. He has performed original music at Nashville’s historic Bluebird Café and has opened for American Idol winner and Iowan Maddie Poppe.
July 9 – Return to the roots of Blues with Doug Deming and The Jewel Tones (dougdeming.com). New to Tunes in the Trees this year, East Detroit native and fierce guitarist Doug Deming’s recent Complicated Mess record featured ten original songs and three re-tooled covers combining traditional blues, jazz, swing, soul and R&B. The band was nominated for the 2019 Blues Band of the Year by the Blues Blast Music Awards.
Aug. 13 – Jazz returns with The Scott Davis Jazz Quartet (scottdavismusic.com). Des Moines-based trumpet player Scott Davis leads a jazz quartet bringing jazz and beyond to their first appearance at Tunes in the Trees.
Sept. 10 – The return of Chad Elliott and Kathryn Severing Fox (wearyramblers.com) is sure to again delight Tune’s concert attendees. The Iowa folk duo brings years of stage experience to their recently formed duo, which highlights multi-instrumental performances with tight harmonies and great storytelling.
Now in its third season, Tunes in the Trees strives to present excellent music with an Iowa connection to bring together music and nature lovers amid the summer splendor of the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens. The event raises funds to support the Arboretum. Third season event sponsors include Dave Grieve, John and Marilyn Jordan, Ted Lare Design Build and Garden Center, Nyemaster Goode, P.C. law firm, and Perennial Gardens.
The Iowa Arboretum and Gardens is a community-supported public garden inspiring curiosity, discovery, and appreciation of the natural landscape. Established in 1968 as a non-profit organization by the Iowa Horticultural Society in Boone County near Madrid, the Iowa Arboretum became a stand-alone organization in 1979. The Arboretum’s vision is to be a leading botanical, educational, and recreational destination fostering the value and enjoyment of nature. It features 160 acres displaying a unique collection of Iowa trees, landscape plants and native ecosystems. To learn more, visit: www.iowaarboretum.org