Here’s a chance to kick the weekend off right with some great music in the awesome outdoor venue at Bargeway Pub next to the Columbia River in The Dalles - 1535 Bargeway Road. Cal Scott, Bob Bailey and Dan Ross will perform songs from their new album, an all-original compilation with some funny lines and great storytelling. It’s titled Chapter One.

MoCo will locally source their music for the 5-year Anniversary on Saturday, Aug. 6. The Wasco Brothers are headlining the show. The fun begins at 4 p.m. But first, you might want to know something about the family-run operation. Meet Nate Stranz in this quick Q & A.

Our friend Jeff Carrel hits the Last Stop Saloon in TD tonight, Aug. 2. He is just one of a few local legends making headlines in this week’s guide for entertainment. Our man Jim Drake is laying out the schedule for the next few days and weeks to come in this comprehensive listing. You can’t go if you don’t know.

"The Visiting Authors Program meets the cultural needs of our students, many of whom have never met a contemporary author, much less one of their culture or who speaks to their concerns," Wendy Patton explained. “This project selects diverse authors and integrates their work into existing courses. We will be inviting the wider Gorge community, recording and archiving the visits so people will benefit from this project well into the future.”

What was the first car you ever owned? Locals told us the good, the bad and the fugly. For example, Jonathan Alvarez didn’t always own a Dodge Challenger Hellcat. He started humbly with a Mazda 626 that he sold behind his Dad’s back to get a Honda Civic, a move his girlfriend and now wife appreciated.

Looking for some fun free activities to do this August? The Dalles Wasco County Library has you covered!

TDHS Grad Emily Peterson hits midpoint on Pacific Crest Trail on her way to the Canadian Terminus. 1,325 miles down. 1,325 miles to go. Trail magic, chocolate cake, and hope of seeing Oregon in August fuel hiker’s feet.

The Broadway Junior version of the hit musical Godspell will begin rehearsals with a script read-through on Sunday, July 31, at 5:00 PM at The Dalles United Church of Christ Congregational, 111 East 5th Street. Performances are scheduled for Friday and Saturday evenings, Aug. 26 and 27, coinciding with the Northwest Mural Fest in The Dalles.

Music is in play. Check out this week in entertainment, including venues Working Hands Beer, Wasco County Fair & Rodeo, Ruins, Double Mountain, Columbia Center for the Arts, Zim’s, TD Library, CG Bluegrass Festival, Lavender Daze, Granada, The Pines, Mid Columbia Concert Association, Taphouse, White Salmon Library, Jackson Park, Tilly Jane’s, Everybody’s Brewing, TD Eagles, Stave and Stone, Jacob Williams, Sunshine Mill, Arlington, Grateful Vineyard, HR Library, Gorge Gear sale, Klickitat Canyon Days, Kickstand Coffee

Read Mo Burford’s reviews of Jurassic World: Dominion, Elvis, and Thor: Love and Thunder and learn what these three movies have (and don’t have) in common with JAWS.

Zach Ryan pays a tribute to Waylon Jennings tonight, July 14, at the Bargeway Pub in The Dalles. It is just one of many great music options this week as art and music is alive and well in the Mid-Columbia. Venues featured this week include Ruins, Everybody’s Brewing, Granada, Double Mountain, TDAC, Zim’s, TD Library, Taphouse, TD Eagles, Stave & Stone, Mt. Hood Winery, WS Library, Jacob Williams, Sunshine, Arlington, TD United Church of Christ, Route 30, Working Hands Beer, River City Saloon, Solera, Grass Valley, White Buffalo, Grateful Vineyard, MC Senior Center, HR Library, HR Elks, Klickitat Canyon Days, Skamania Lodge, Kickstand Coffee

The Dalles Art Center has some really exciting things happening right now, here’s a quick run-down: They’s recently published a book about The Dalles, they’ve got a show from acclaimed folk artist Tony Furtado and Summer Art Camps are just around the corner!

Bringing Jennifer Batten, lead guitarist for Michael Jackson for four world tours, to The Dalles for a fundraiser. That’s just being a Smooth Criminal. Doing it all in the Backyard of the Bargeway Pub this Friday night while supporting The United Way of the Columbia Gorge? Cue the pyrotechnics. And that’s a go on the guitar solo!

Goldendale Community Days will kick off on Friday night July 8th at 6:30 p.m. on the Klickitat County Courthouse lawn with a celebration of Goldendale’s Sesquicentennial, which celebrates the 150th anniversary of Goldendale’s founding.

— July 7 is The Dalles Public Works Director Dave Anderson. — July 14 Supervisor Stevie Stevenson talks about The Next Door Runaway Homeless Youth Services. — July 21 Zoom meeting (no meeting at Spooky’s) City Manager Matthew Klebes addresses his new job. — July 28 is Dennis Knox, President and CEO of Mid-Columbia Medical Center

Hundreds gathered for The Dalles Fourth of July parade today at 10 a.m. with a host of events to follow. The celebration will culminate with the fireworks display launched from the center of the Columbia River between the Union Street boat dock and The Dalles Dam tonight at 10 p.m.

“This is the largest show in Oregon,” Horvath said, noting the Blues Festival in downtown Portland would rival it, but not in the size of mortars. “They have more shots but they are not as big as these.”

Alex age 5 and Poppy age 3 participate in First Friday fun in front of Beau Toi Day Spa and Salon on 2nd street downtown The Dalles on July 1st. The theme of this First Friday was Hometown Fourth of July. The event kicked off a weekend of fun leading up to the fireworks display on Monday at 10:00 pm.

We got you covered for all things red, white and blue and rock-n-roll too this weekend. Check out this schedule of fireworks displays and other events for Fourth of July weekend here in The Dalles, Hood River, Goldendale, Stevenson, White Salmon and Cascade Locks. Photo of past Fort Dalles Fourth Fireworks display in The Dalles courtesy Macnab Photography.