The Lakeside Chamber of Commerce and the El Capitan Stadium Association is collaborating for an evening of business, music, and fun, holding their first time ever Lakeside Arena Rhythm ‘N’ Blues concert on Sept. 17 at the Lakeside Arena (the rodeo grounds) in Lakeside.
The event includes live music from The Farmers, Sara Petite, Farm Truck, and Barbwire, with dancing, food, and local brews from BNS brewery.
Proceeds from the concert will be divided between the ECSA and the Lakeside Chamber. ECSA raises money every year to support the youth of Lakeside, and the Chamber supports interests in business, civic, and the community of Lakeside, said Lakeside Chamber events coordinator Chrystal Grobner.
Grobner said they are rebranding the rodeo grounds as the Lakeside Arena.
“Everybody knows the Lakeside Rodeo,” she said. “The rodeo is such an integral part of Lakeside and Lakeside’s youth, but there is a whole other aspect that is available in our community for supporting all different kinds of events and supporting the youth in so many otherways.”
She said the rodeo has hosted outdoor concerts before with outside organizations bringing in headliner bands for the community, but the ECSA was looking for a fundraiser, so they partnered together for this first-time event.
“We are creating this from scratch,” she said. “Creating all these things from the very beginning. What we want it to look like, feel like.”
Grobner said they thought it was important to support local bands, local businesses, without promoting big bands and performers that everyone already knows.
“It is to support people who are living and working in Lakeside, which is why we were only considering local bands,” she said.
Nominated for the 2019 Country Album of the Year at the San Diego Music Awards, Barbwire’s lead vocalist and guitarist James Cramer said when first approached about performing for the concert, he thought it would be a “no,” as they have another gig that evening. But after hearing who else was playing, he said there was no way they were going to miss the opportunity to perform with the other bands.
“I wanted to play so badly with The Farmers, Sara Petite, and Farm Truck,” he said.
Barbwire has been playing locally for 14 years.
“We love the country music scene, and we are still out there playing in the honkytonks every weekend,” he said. “We have been really excited as we get to travel a little bit more. We play a little more in the Los Angeles area. We have Las Vegas coming up soon and Arizona. We are trying to stay hungry, and though we have changed some members over the past couple of years, all in all, we have been getting better and better. We work really hard at it and have a lot of fun.”
Tickets are available Aug. 1 for $25 at the following:
Lakeside Chamber office:
Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Lakeside Mary’s Donuts: 24/7
Lakeside Arena at 12584 Mapleview St. on Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Gates open at 4:30 p.m. Free t-shirt to first 250 entry.
