CERES
MAYOR JAVIER LOPEZ
Team
Apr 9, 2025
Ceres Summer Lineup and Highlights
The City of Ceres has announced a FREE six-week Concerts in the Park series for summer 2025, held Tuesday evenings at Whitmore Park (Third Street, downtown Ceres) from 6:30–8:30 p.m.
Each week features live music, food vendors, and family-friendly games. Attendees often bring lawn chairs or picnic blankets to enjoy the show.
. The 2025 lineup is as follows (with official pages and music links for each performer):
June 3 – Texas Funk – A Modesto-based Tex-Mex/Tejano band known for high-energy Norteño and funk-infused country tunes. Texas Funk is a family ensemble founded in 2005 by Robert Gloria, delivering “exciting and uplifting” live shows with over 100 years of combined experience.
They specialize in the hard-rocking Tejano/Norteño style popular from Texas to California
Official: Find them on Facebook and YouTube (search “Texas Funk Modesto”).
June 10 – Sonhouse Blues & Gospel Band – A local group blending classic blues with soulful gospel. Sonhouse Blues & Gospel Band has been active in the Ceres/Modesto area, frequently performing at community events and faith-based gatherings (they’ve played at church events like Ceres Celebrate Recovery). Expect inspirational blues-rock with a spiritual twist. Official: Follow their Facebook page for videos of live performances (search “Sonhouse Blues and Gospel Band”).
June 17 – Los Reales del Norte – An acclaimed Grupo Norteño originally from Durango, Mexico, now based in Modesto. Los Reales del Norte are known for lively regional Mexican music (corridos, rancheras, and polkas) featuring accordion and bajo sexto. They have a large following (80K+ on Facebook) and have recorded numerous songs available on Spotify and Apple Music.
. Official: Music by Los Reales del Norte is streaming on platforms like Apple Music (tracks include “7 Leguas” and “Feria de Las Flores”
music.apple.com and Spotify.
June 24 – LaVonne ’N the Trainwreck – A popular local band fronted by vocalist LaVonne. LaVonne & The Trainwreck deliver crowd-pleasing classic rock and country hits, often energizing festivals alongside country acts like Greg Scudder & the Honky Tonk Heroes
. They’ve been featured at events such as the Ceres Street Faire and Tuolumne River Fest. Expect a mix of Southern rock flair and honky-tonk country vibe. Official: Follow their Facebook for show updates (search “LaVonne N the Trainwreck”).
July 1 – Gotcha Country – A high-octane country cover band from the Central Valley. Part of the “Gotcha Covered Music” family, Gotcha Country performs 90s through modern country favorites with nonstop energy
. Their dance-friendly setlists (from Brooks & Dunn classics to Luke Combs hits) keep audiences line-dancing and two-stepping all night.
Official: Visit their website for band info and schedules
. They regularly play regional venues and have videos on YouTube.
July 8 – Indian Community Dancing – A special cultural performance showcasing traditional Indian dance. This finale event features members of the local Indian/Punjabi community performing folk dances like Giddha (women’s dance) and Bhangra (men’s harvest dance). (In the 2024 series, a similar “Gidha & Bhangra” night was held.) It’s a colorful celebration of Indian heritage through music and dance. Official: Community-organized (not a single troupe), often coordinated by local Indian dance enthusiasts and cultural groups.
Resumption After COVID-19 & Mayoral Support
Ceres’ beloved summer concert series went on hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021 the city proudly resumed Concerts in the Park, after was described as a two-year break.
The 2021 comeback was scaled down – concerts moved to Friday evenings in July 2021 – but marked a hopeful return to normalcy with live patriotic music kicking off the Fourth of July weekend. Mayor Javier Lopez, who took office in 2020, has been an active supporter since the series’ return. He often makes appearances at the concerts and promotes them on social media (for example, thanking residents for coming out and highlighting local vendors in Instagram posts)
In fact, Mayor Lopez helped unveil the 2025 lineup alongside Vice Mayor Daniel Martinez, showing the city leadership’s enthusiasm for the event. Their public encouragement has helped boost attendance and community excitement as live music returned to Ceres.
The concert series has grown significantly since COVID. Initially, only a handful of shows were held in 2021, but by 2022 the series returned to a full multi-week schedule (traditionally running June through July). Crowds have steadily increased, drawn by the diverse musical acts and the family-friendly atmosphere. City Recreation staff also introduced new features to enhance the experience, for example, food truck vendors (beyond the lone firefighter BBQ booth of years past) and even a “Maker’s Market” for local crafts in some years.
All these additions signal that Concerts in the Park is not just back, but thriving and expanding since the pandemic.
City Committee & Leadership Involvement
Organizing the concert series each year is a team effort by the Ceres Recreation Department and a dedicated Concerts in the Park Committee. This committee includes city officials who help plan and oversee the events. In fact, Ceres council members have personally invested in the success of the concerts. Former Vice Mayor Bret Silveira long championed the concert series – in 2023 he served on the Concerts in the Park Committee and even noted that the cause was “close to my heart,” with his brother volunteering as the series’ sound board operator. Silveira pushed to remain on the committee into 2024, but as part of the annual reassignments, Mayor Lopez opted to rotate in new members. For 2024 and 2025, Mayor Lopez appointed Councilman Daniel Martinez and Councilwoman Rosalinda Vierra to the Concerts in the Park Committee. Both are newer council members bringing fresh energy to city events. Martinez (now serving as Vice Mayor in 2025) and Vierra have been hands-on in coordinating the concert logistics and engaging the community.
This high-level involvement (Mayor, Vice Mayor, and councilmembers) underscores the city’s commitment to making the summer concerts a signature community event. The collaborative effort by city leaders, staff, and volunteers ensures each concert night runs smoothly – from securing band bookings and sponsors to setting up stages and promoting the events.
New Gazebo & Post-COVID Growth
One exciting improvement for Concerts in the Park is the construction of a new gazebo stage at Whitmore Park – and notably, it’s being built without tapping local taxpayer funds. In late 2022, the City Council approved replacing the old 1988 wooden gazebo with a larger, modern metal gazebo to better accommodate bands.
The project carries a price tag of around $540,000, funded entirely by a federal American Rescue Plan Act grant plus a California state parks grant (leveraging COVID relief monies). No Ceres general fund dollars are being used for the upgrade, a point city officials highlighted as “great news”. Vice Mayor Bret Silveira was a key proponent of the gazebo project, advocating that an expanded stage was needed for the growing concert series (he noted the old bandstand had become “too cramped” for full bands).
Despite some initial public skepticism about the cost, the council voted 4-1 to proceed, recognizing that grant funds would cover it and that use-it-or-lose-it deadlines applied to the state grant.
As of the 2024–2025 season, the new gazebo will be nearing completion, poised to become the centerpiece of Whitmore Park. This investment not only improves the acoustics and space for performers but also symbolizes the post-COVID growth of the event. Since 2021, Concerts in the Park has rebounded in scale – in 2024 the series ran 8 weeks long, longer than pre-pandemic years and featured more variety (including cultural dance night and additional bands). Attendance has surged as families are eager to enjoy outdoor events again. The addition of the spacious new gazebo (funded by outside grants) is expected to further boost the quality of the concerts, allowing larger bands and even multi-group showcases. City officials have noted that the series, which has been a Ceres tradition for over 30 years is reaching new heights in engagement. “It’s bigger and better than ever,” as the Recreation Department’s posts often imply, thanks to community enthusiasm and the city’s support.