Steven Sanchez
Entertainment
Concerts…check. Comedy shows…check. Family events…check. The Central Valley checks all the boxes for events this weekend.
Country stars Lainey Wilson and Chris Janson make their way to the area. And, the talk of the town is the return of Fresno Greek Fest.
Check out our expanded list of events at this link.
Lainey Wilson
Country superstar Lainey Wilson brings her “Country’s Cool Again” tour to the Save Mart Center on Thursday. Supporting acts are Jackson Dean and Zach Top.
Wilson has received seven Country Music Association Awards, including winning Entertainer of the Year in 2023. She also has a Grammy and six Academy of Country Music Awards. “Things a Man Oughta Know” became her breakout single, topping the Billboard Country Airplay chart and reaching the top five of Hot Country Songs.
Her other hits include ‘Heart Like a Truck,” “Watermelon Moonshine,” and “Wildflowers and Wild Horse.”
Get your tickets here.
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Fresno Greek Fest 2024
The popular Fresno Greek Fest returns to the St. George Greek Orthodox Church and it’ll take place all weekend. This is the best way to experience Greek culture.
There’ll be traditional Greek food like gyros, souvlaki, moussaka, spanakopita, dolmades, and tiropita. Check out the full Grecian-style taverna, which will offer wine tasting, frappes, microbrew Greek craft beer, and coffee. Dancers from all over the state will perform.
The Olympians, a popular Greek band from Long Beach, will entertain the crowd. Internationally renowned Orestes Koletsos, and his trio from Athens, will play acoustic sets on the patio. There’ll be inflatable slides, bouncers and activities for the kids.
The church is at 2219 N. Orchard St. in Fresno.
Get your tickets here.
Richie Kotzen
Rocker Richie Kotzen will have the Tower Theatre crowd banging their heads on Friday. The guitarist, singer, and songwriter had a stint in the glam metal band Poison and is now the frontman for the hard rock supergroup The Winery Dogs. The band includes bassist Billy Sheehan (Steve Vai, David Lee Roth) and drummer Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater).
He’s a multi-instrumentalist, including the keyboard. He’s opened for huge acts like The Rolling Stones.
I saw The Winery Dogs bring the house down at Tower Theatre last year. A band or not, he’ll put on a great performance.
Get your tickets here.
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Chris Janson
Country artist and songwriter Chris Janson performs at Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino on Saturday. He’s known for his hits like “Fix A Drink,” “Good Vibes,” “Buy Me A Boat,” “Done,” and “Things You Can’t Live Without.”
“Drunk Girl” was a CMA Song of the Year nominee and ACM Video of the Year. Janson has collaborated with other country superstars like Tim McGraw, Justin Moore, Cody Johnson, and the iconic Hank Williams Jr. Rolling Stone proclaimed him “a live legacy in the making.” He’s performed in the nation’s biggest country festivals and tours.
Get your tickets here.
Carlos Mencia
Stand-up comedian Carlos Mencia will force feed laughs to a Visalia Fox Theatre audience on Saturday. Mencia is best known for his raw and unfiltered style. He’s going back to his comedic roots on his “No Hate No Fear” tour.
Mencia created and hosted the Comedy Central sketch show “Mind of Mencia.” His special, “Carlos Mencia: No Strings Attached,” was the first Comedy Central stand-up special DVD to achieve platinum sales status. He starred opposite Ben Stiller and Michelle Monaghan in “The Heartbreak Kid,” and in the family-comedy “Our Family Wedding,” alongside America Ferrara and Forrest Whitaker.
I saw him perform at The Big Fresno Fair last year. He’s toured and knows the Central Valley really well. He didn’t take it easy when making the area the recipient of his jokes. He’s still unfiltered and relentless as ever.
Get your tickets here.
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Check it Out:
Slice of Comedy Headlining Renee Gauthier, Friday
Stand-up comedian Renee Gauthier performs at DiCicco’s Old Town Clovis on Friday. She’s also a writer and producer and a well-known member of Chicago’s Second City. She was featured as a “New Face” at Just For Laughs; the “funny American assistant” on Victoria Beckham’s “Coming To America” reality show on NBC; and the Lionsgate holiday hit, “The Turkey Bowl.” She made her debut comedy special with “High Blood Italian.”
Get your tickets here.
Bee Gees Gold, Friday
Bee Gees Gold, a tribute to the music of the Bee Gees will perform at Engelmann Cellars on Friday. You should be dancing when they play their classic hits like “Stayin’ Alive,” “Night Fever,” and “How Deep Is Your Love.” It figures to be a great evening under the stars with live music, wine, beer, frosé, food trucks, and dancing.
Get your tickets here.
Wine Down Fridays at Toca Madera Winery, Friday
Wine Down Fridays continues every Friday through Sept. 27 at Toca Madera Winery. Enjoy performances from Mid-Life Crisis and Ted Nunes. Taqueria Gonzalez will provide food, and wine specials and a sangria happy hour will be available. Remember to bring lawn chairs and picnic blankets for a relaxing evening.
Get your tickets here.
Oktoberfest 2024, Friday
Visalia’s Oktoberfest returns on Friday at Vossler Farms. There’ll be food samplings, wine tastings, and beer tastings from local breweries, including live music. The goal of the event is to share the Central Valley’s best food, wine, beer, and entertainment with the community. It’s presented by the Visalia Chamber of Commerce.
Get your tickets here.
Donor Network West Foundation Run/Walk, Saturday
The 14th annual Donor Network West Foundation Run/Walk takes place at Woodward Park on Saturday. It’s a fundraiser that honors the extraordinary gift of life from donor heroes, families and raises awareness about the importance of organ, eye, and tissue donation. The fun event is for all ages, and they’ll be handing out awards to participants.
Get your tickets here.
Clovis Night Out, Saturday
The 13th Annual Clovis Night Out takes place at David McDonald Park on Saturday. It’s part of a national effort to bring law enforcement and first responders closer to the public. This family-friendly event will provide over 100 local food & boutique vendors, live music from Lady & The Tramps, police & city vehicle displays, free bounce houses for the kids, and more. At the end they’ll do the Skye Dreams Drone Light Show.
Get your tickets here.
Fresno Reel Pride LGBTQ Film Festival, Thursday-Sunday
The 35th Annual Fresno Reel Pride LGBTQ+ Film Festival returns to the Tower District where they’ll be showing films from all over the world throughout the weekend. There’ll be screenings at Tower Theatre, the ViSTA Theater, and Arts Annex & Doris Gallery.
Get your tickets here.
Recap: Boots in the Park
Boots in the Park hit Woodward Park on Friday, Sept. 13, with everything you’d want in a country music festival. An estimated 15,000 people — including Mayor Jerry Dyer — showed up to enjoy the party in their boots and hats.
Jason Aldean was the headliner with supporting acts Ian Munsick, Chase Matthew, and Joe Peters.
Before Aldean’s set, the president of Activated Events, Steve Thacher, announced that Boots in the Park will continue in Fresno for the next five years.
The festivities started at 3 p.m. and went till 10 p.m. It was basically an all-day extravaganza filled with food trucks to satisfy all tastes, an assortment of alcoholic beverages, line dancing, interactive art installations, and booths and vendors selling country attire. It had it all.
For me, seeing people sip back The Finnish Long Drinks while taking in the sights and sounds in the VIP section was fun to see. That’s what it’s about, knocking back a cold one while enjoying good tunes.
Joe Peters and Chase Matthew kicked off the day and got the crowd riled up. Ian Munsick took it to another level. His twangy voice and stage presence entertained the attendees. He was struttin’ around and shaking his hips to songs like “Cowboy Killer.” He played his hits “Long Live Cowgirls” and “Long Haul” much to the delight of his fans.
Afterward, there was a drone light show that captivated the audience. They spelled out “Boots in the Park” in the night sky and that received a big applause. A DJ was on stage playing an assortment of tunes to keep the party going.
Then came the man of the hour, superstar Jason Aldean. He’s an exceptional artist. He owned the stage when he was up there. With his trademark country hat while wearing a Stone Temple Pilots shirt. He went from side-to-side and sailed to the extended walkway so all fans can see his star shine bright.
A highlight for me was when he played his nostalgic ditty “Dirt Road Anthem” that got thousands of people singing together in unison during the chorus. It was an amazing moment.
Aldean also played new material like “Try That In A Small Town.” His collaboration with Carrie Underwood (she appeared on the stage screen), “If I Didn’t Love You” was a crowd pleaser. He really turned it up when he played the classics. I’m talking “She’s Country” and “My Kind of Party.” He definitely ended the night on a high note.
