Shine your chrome and grease your gears for the summer music series at Parilla Grill. By Annissa Anderson for Commute Options
Get ready to show your spokes at the annual Show Us Your Spokes concert series at Parilla Grill. The summertime concert series that benefits Commute Options and Rise Up International will be grooving one weekend night for each of the next six weeks.
Show Us Your Spokes celebrates musical talent in an outdoor venue with discounts for concert goers who pound the pavement or spin their spokes to get there. A $6 per person concert fee is discounted to $5 for anyone who bikes to the concerts at Parilla Grill, located on the Galveston and 14th roundabout on Bend’s Westside. Parilla Grill serves global burrito-style wraps for lunch and dinner, as well as beer, wine and margaritas.
The concert series, which has been running for several years, incorporated its bicycling theme in order to reduce vehicle parking at the shows, said Jeff Dearing, owner of Parilla Grill. The concerts are held outdoors in the restaurant’s parking lot. “It’s fun to have an event that is about people riding their bikes,” said Dearing. “It brings awareness that it is possible to get around on your bicycle instead of driving,” he said.
“The Show Us Your Spokes concerts are quintessentially Bend summer lifestyle,” said Jeff Monson, executive director for Commute Options. “Walking and biking to summertime concerts lets the fun begin the moment you leave your house. No traffic jams or parking lot hassles.”
A portion of funds raised by the concert series over the last several years have helped to support a variety of Commute Options’ programs. Commute Options provides year-round services to businesses, organizations and individuals to assist them in choosing alternate modes of travel for getting to work, school and around their community.
The series presents a range of musical styles, from rock to bluegrass and blues to hip-hop. “I try to have a lot of local artists present, to give them a local venue,” said Dearing. Dearing works with several local business sponsors, like Boneyard Beer, and others who sponsor prizes for raffles between acts at the shows. He is also assisted by local musicians, like Mark Ransom (The Mostest), in getting the musical acts lined up.
“For great tunes in a festive outdoor atmosphere at a really reasonable price, grab your helmet and a few friends and head to Parilla Grill’s summer concerts,” said Monson.
Commute Options promotes choices that reduce the impacts of driving alone. For more information about Commute Options, contact Jeff Monson, Executive Director of Commute Options at 541-330-2647 or visit www.commuteoptions.org. Annissa Anderson is a freelance writer and PR consultant in Bend.
Show Us Your Spokes at Parilla Grill
Friday, July 27 — Moon Mountain Ramblers (bluegrass)
Saturday, Aug. 4 — Hopeless Jack and Harley Bourbon (roots-rock)
Saturday, Aug. 11 — McDougall with Avery James and the Hillandales (blues)
Friday, Aug. 17 — Mosley Wotta with Cloaked Characters (hip-hop)
Saturday, Aug. 25 — The Autonomics with Cadence (indie rock)