May 16, 2016 | Tim Hauserman

One of my favorite parts of summer life in Tahoe City are the Concerts at the Commons Beach. Every Sunday evening throughout the summer hundreds of locals and visitors gather on the grass along the lakeshore. They come to picnic while enjoying the balmy evening, dance to the tunes, or just meet and greet with old and new friends while pondering the beauty of Lake Tahoe.

The concerts start on June 19th and run through September 4th. Most shows run from 4 to 7 pm, but the kick off event on June 19 starts at 3 pm. A full run down of the performers can be found at concertatcommonsbeach.com but whenever you go, the music will be great. You will hear great bluegrass, jazz, blues, zydeco, soul, and good old fashioned rock and roll. The opening act is a combo of The Dustbowl Revival and Sweetwater String Band. As the season progresses look for such favorites as The Doobie Decimal System, Mumbo Gumbo, The Blue’s Monsters, Dead Winter Carpenters and Jelly Bread. Even Devon Allman, the son of Gregg Allman of Allman Brothers fame, will grace the stage.

The Commons Concerts are the largest free live music events at North Lake Tahoe. Presented by the Tahoe City Downtown Association and Tahoe City Public Utility District, you can help keep the music flowing by becoming a sponsor or just by putting a few bucks in the bucket when volunteers make their way through the crowd each week.

In addition to the music, you will find ice cream, barbecue and other food concoctions, as well as wine and beer vendors. Guests are welcome to bring a blanket and picnic supplies and stake out a claim on their piece of grass, but please keep the chairs low back so as not to block the view of the folks behind you.

While the music is certainly a draw for these events, for many Tahoe locals the concerts are just the push needed to spend an evening along the shore of Lake Tahoe. And a reminder of how lucky we are to be in this special place.

Photo is provided by Tahoe City Downtown Association, credit Ron Richman