Newton Fest: Cap off each night with live music

Of course Newton Fest wouldn’t be Newton Fest without a little music, and organizers have managed to book crowd pleasers every night.

Kicking of the Thursday evening festivities (yes, there most certainly is a pre-fest Newton Fest) is the always-entertaining Dueling Fiddles, featuring the very talented and sought-after Des Moines violinists Hanna Wolle and Geneviève Salamone. Their performance begins 7 p.m. June 8 at the Maytag Bowl.

Dueling Fiddles is just one of the many performers featured in this year’s Summer Concert Series held at Maytag Park. These concerts are free to attend, and visitors are encouraged to bring chairs, blankets and even coolers to the park as they enjoy the live music shows.

But that’s just a sampling of what’s to come. On Friday night, Thunder Nites returns to the downtown square and with it is a live performance from the band Sirius Jones from Waterloo. Sirius Jones has the perfect jam tunes to boogey to while you’re enjoying best bike night in Jasper County from 6 to 10 p.m. June 9.

Would you believe there is another musical opportunity happening the same night? While it’s not really a band per se, the free UV Glow Foam Party is hosted by a DJ from Driving Cap Entertainment. The party for kids and adults begins 9 p.m. June 9 at Maytag Park. It’s time to get groovy with the foam cannon.

Ending the Newton Fest activities is Damon Dotson, a singer-songwriter from Des Moines. Well, heck, most of you ought to know who this guy is by now because of how often he’s played in Newton. And there’s a reason for that: We just really love his shows! See him at 7 p.m. June 10 at the Maytag Bowl.