A raft of talent

Float-In concert series tests the waters at Devils Lake

It’s re-use at its finest, when the former Devils Lake fireworks barge takes on a new guise as a floating stage for the inaugural Float-In Brown Bag Concert series.

The monthly open-air and on-water concerts, beginning with the Beth Willis Rock Band on Saturday, July 10, take social distancing to a whole new level.

“The idea is to roll in, drop anchor and have some dinner while listening to great music,” said Mitchell Moore of the Devils Lake Neighborhood Association. “We’ll be in the northwest corner of the lake, and that spot is only accessible by water.”

The fireworks barge was built at around the same time that the neighborhood association was formed.

“The first thing we wanted to do was a fireworks show, because we thought it would help decrease the number of people using personal fireworks on the lake,” Moore said. “They don’t disintegrate the way professional ones do, so we thought it would be good for the health of the lake to give people an alternative.”

The fireworks display, which encouraged people to gather together in the best viewing spots around the lake, became a no-go last year due to COVID. But there was still this barge.

“Last year we got a grant for fireworks but when they were cancelled we decided to start moving forward with the concert series. There’s no way to know how things are going to go in the next year, but this is a pretty safe event no matter what.”

You can boat, float and paddle in for the 90-minute shows.

“I’ll be coming with my boat but I’m hearing a lot about people coming with kayaks and stand-up paddle boards,” Moore said. “I've been really getting a lot of positive comments from people around the neighborhood saying it sounds fun and they will be there — we’ll see if they do or not.”

After the July 10 kickoff, the series will continue with concerts on the second Saturday through September, with a carefully crafted lineup.

“Beth Willis has been playing at venues around Lincoln City for many years, so a lot of people know who she is and love her,” Moore said. “That was one of the reasons I led off with her, because she is known locally, but the other two acts are really good, too.”

The Beth Willis Rock Band plays covers and originals, delivering a tight set of crowd-pleaser hits that make them one of most popular bands in the Pacific Northwest.

In August, Rowdy Mountain will take to the barge. A throwback to the heyday of bluegrass music, Rowdy Mountain plays the raw, down from the mountain sound that gave bluegrass its wheels in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s.

Finally, the September concert will feature Chicamarimba, an eight-woman marimba ensemble whose playing radiates with a love of music and deep friendship. Chicamarimba performs upbeat world music blending African and Latin American rhythms, surely a great choice of music to listen to while floating on a lake on a warm summer evening.

The barge will be at “Horseshoe Bay,” which is located in the northeast corner of Devils Lake. But the name doesn’t refer to the shape of the shore nearby.

There used to be a sign on someone's property near the site that said that,” Moore said. “Over time, people began to refer to that section of the lake as Horseshoe Bay. The sign is gone but the name stuck."

To maximize safety, a boat-restriction zone will be established around the stage, and boaters are asked to extend the courtesy of operating in a no-wake manner while in the eastern half of the lake. Volunteer monitors will add an extra layer of safety.

“Hopefully this will be the first year of an annual event,” Moore said. “I know I’m looking forward to it.”

Each 90-minute concert will begin at 6 pm. For more information, including a map showing the exact location where the barge will be anchored, go to www.dlakeoregon.com

By the time Beth Willis takes to the stage, hopefully the barge will have cooled down from the July 3 fireworks display, which is set to light up the sky again this year. Watch from your boat or from lakeshore spots including Regatta Park and East Devils Lake State Park.