Free concert series in Brownsville offers 'a great time to relax'

Angela Guglielmino, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.
·3 min read

May 20—Tawnya Hoffman started a free community concert series in 2022, and she said that a memorable moment from a past concert series event was when a community member who donated to the event and who is in his 80s, Loren Olsen, played the harmonica.

"He has not been able to be as active as he would like to be, and he was very much into his music," Hoffman said. "And we were able to invite him up on the stage and play a song with his harmonica. And when he got done, he just stood up there and cried about being invited up on the stage and how much this all meant to him."

This is an annual concert series in Brownsville that will resume this Friday and continue on Friday nights from 5-8 p.m. through Sept. 27. The event is presented by Yuba Feather Communities Services (YFCS) and Mountains Top Coffee Shop.

Hoffman is a member of YFCS, a nonprofit organization that provides free recreational opportunities; YFCS is also in charge of stewarding 40 acres of land near Brownsville, known as Ponderosa Park. Hoffman is the director of Mountains Top Coffee Shop, a volunteer-run shop providing youth with work experience.

The concert series will feature local bands outdoors at the Mountains Top Coffee Shop & Event Center.

"(At the event,) we have mismatched tables and chairs that go on the floors, and so people get used to where they like to sit, so they'll come a little early and they'll snag their table and chair," she said. "(The event) is a great time to relax, enjoy company, have great food and listen to wonderful music."

Hoffman said that she is particularly looking forward to listening to the Tyler Foote Walker band. That band plays hill country blues. She also said that people really enjoy the Honolulu Blue band.

"Which are these two guys that sing some soft Hawiian music and a little bit of country," Hoffman said.

Here is the upcoming schedule for the concert series. Diggin Up Bones will play on May 24, Pork Chop will play on May 31, Stringtown Road will play on June 7, Diggin Up Bones will play on June 14, Honolulu Blue will play on June 21, Rogue House Rockers will play on June 28, there will be a break on July 4, Ragtop Rockers will play on July 12, Sies Matters will play on July 19, Infused will play on July 26, Strung Nugget Band will play on Aug. 2, Heather McFadden will play on Aug. 9, Tyler Foote Walker will play on Aug.16, Rouge House Walkers will play on Aug. 23, Honolulu Blue will play on Aug. 30, Infused will play on Sept. 6, Sies Matters will play on Sept. 13, Rogue House Walkers will play on Sept. 20 and Diggin Up Bones will play on Sept. 27.

Mountains Top Coffee Shop & Event Center is located at 16911 Willow Glen Rd. in Brownsville. For more information, call 530-790-5114 or visit yubafeathercommunitiesservices.org.