NEWBERG, Ore. — Newberg’s free summer concert series returns for a five-week run as Tunes on Tuesday comes back to the Chehalem Cultural Center Plaza starting June 23.

“I’m ‘gidd-ily’ looking forward to it,” said Scott Parker, executive director of the Chehalem Valley Chamber of Commerce. “Each concert last year drew close to a thousand people, with Hit Machine seeing over 2,000 people. It is just an incredible community gathering, and that’s what energizes me.”

The Chehalem Valley Chamber of Commerce took ownership of the event four years ago and has since worked to focus the series and book acts that reflect the surrounding community.

As part of that effort, the series will again open on June 23 with “Hometown Sound,” now in its second season, which showcases local talent on the main stage. Musicians Spirit Artis, Kara Johnson, Olivia Potoff, Butch Kent, Marc Umfleet, Jamison Gumley, and Bryan Voigt, who each perform solo, come together to form a band for the show. Parker said he previously tapped local musician Victor Artis to help identify local artists ready to perform for their community.

“It sets Newberg in a very special place when we have these musicians who are doing their own things and come together to share their music,” said Victor Artis.

Artis said Tunes on Tuesday holds a special place in the local music community, not only because it puts local talent on one of the town’s biggest stages, but also because musicians get the chance to play original songs with the support of fellow local performers.

“That’s something that’s really unique,” Artis said. “They’re not just playing covers — which are also great — but playing their originals with the band lets them really express their music to their community, which is what it’s all about.”

The following week, on June 30, the series will feature a local band Parker discovered while attending a show at Social Goods last year. Powder Keg was playing a variety of well-loved covers at the now-closed tavern when he approached them about performing at the series.

“I feel like Newberg is on the cusp of becoming a music destination,” Parker said. “With a few new stages in town and the growth of the Newgrass Festival, it feels like the proof is there.”

The Newgrass Festival, a two-day bluegrass music festival held at the Chehalem Cultural Center each spring, is sponsoring Tunes on Tuesday for the second consecutive year. Parker said a bluegrass performance is now a fixture of the summer series, occupying at least one slot each season.

This year’s bluegrass act, on July 7, is the only performer without local roots. Mountaintop Sound is described on its website as “southern Oregon’s friendliest Americana/bluegrass band.” The four-piece group features guitar, bass, mandolin, and banjo.

Wrapping up the series are Newberg staples Ben Rice and the PDX Hustle on July 14 and Hit Machine on July 21. Parker said he likes closing the series the week of the Newberg Old Fashioned Festival, after some schedule adjustments during the chamber’s transition to ownership.

Parker said the chamber has found the formula for a successful event, as evidenced by returning sponsors.

“It’s rare that you have people come up to say they want to give you money — you usually have to go out and ask,” he said. “The community really rallies behind what’s happening here, and that’s part of what makes it so special. It’s all of us.”

Returning vendors include Kopitos, the Tap Trailer, Duck Pond Cellars, Ransom Spirits, Fryer & Ice, Hutch & Lucky, Serendipity 2 Ice Cream, Kona Ice, Mythical Mini Donuts, and Ewing Young Distillery. The Lemon & Olive Mediterranean Restaurant food truck will join the lineup for the first time this year.

“It feels like Tunes on Tuesday is now Newberg’s kickoff to summer,” Parker said. “After the last show, you have the Old Fashioned Festival, and then The Allison is starting its free outdoor music series. It’s the start of summer fun in Newberg.”

Naming the Mouse

A familiar face will be joining the crowd at Cultural Center Plaza. Following the sale of the Butler Property, the bronze mouse statue from Georgia Gerber’s “Boys Night Out” series now stands at the northeast corner of the plaza lawn, looking up at the Cultural Center.

The first concert of the series, Hometown Sound, will serve as a “welcome home” party for the bronze mouse, said Crystal Trice, manager of the Newberg Public Art Council. While attendees visit, dance, and play around the sculpture, NPAC is asking the community to vote on an official name for it.

The mouse, which has not been given an official name outside of its trio, was moved from its previous home on the Butler Property across from City Hall on Jan. 7. NPAC board President Terry Emery previously told Newsberg the organization prioritized placing the sculpture somewhere the community could continue to interact with it. During its two years at the Butler Property, the mouse received many costumes — including umbrellas and scarves in the rainy months, a hula skirt in the summer, and a pirate costume around Halloween.

“Stop by to say hello, snap a photo, and help us finally answer a question that’s been years in the making: What should we call him?” Trice said in an email. “Cast your vote [at the event] and help give Newberg’s favorite tiny resident an official name.”

Tunes on Tuesday is a free summer concert series organized by the Chehalem Valley Chamber of Commerce at the Chehalem Cultural Center Plaza, 415 E. Sheridan St. Concerts run Tuesdays from 6:30 to 9 p.m., June 23 through July 21. Outside nonalcoholic beverages are permitted; alcoholic beverages must be purchased from event vendors. Outside food is allowed, though the chamber encourages attendees to support event vendors. Well-behaved pets are welcome on leash. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets; a limited number are available to rent at the event.

Learn more at the Chehalem Valley Chamber of Commerce website.

Newsberg Editor Branden Andersen contributed to reporting for this article.