Arbor Crest offers music with a view

Here’s a recipe for a low-stress Sunday evening.

Drive up to the Spokane Valley’s most famous scenic vista, purchase a bottle of red or white wine, stretch out a blanket on the green, green grass and spend a few hours listening to some good quality blues.

The Arbor Crest Sunday concert series makes its 2006 debut Sunday evening with a Father’s Day concert by local blues band Doghouse Boyz.

Arbor Crest Winery turns its headquarters into a concert stage every summer Sunday night from 5:30 until sunset. The sprawling grounds adapt readily. There is plenty of room for those who want a front-row seat to bring a folding chair and chill out. There’s still more room for picnickers who want to stretch out and relax.

And there’s room for when that overwhelming urge to get up and dance takes hold.

“The walkways are pretty good for that,” Arbor Crest events manager Shelby Enevold said. “And there’s the giant checkerboard – that works pretty well as a dance floor, too.”

And the acoustics are also terrific, especially considering you’re sitting on top of a cliff overlooking the wide expanse of the Valley.

“That’s what we’ve discovered,” Enevold said. “It’s like a natural amphitheater. The sound carries well. It’s a little surprising.”

There are some rules, however.

First, no one under 21 is allowed.

Second, outside alcohol is not permitted. But feel free to bring a picnic – or feast on a catered meal.

“We do have catered food available,” Enevold said. “And our tasting room is open, where we have specialty food, too.”

And, since the venue is a winery, the tasting room is happy to sell Arbor Crest wine by the bottle or glass for consumption on the premises. For the rest of the summer, an array of local musicians will provide the Sunday night entertainment.

“We have a really nice mix of artists coming in,” Enevold said. “Blues artists, light jazz, some rock – it’s a nice mix for a relaxed Sunday night.

“We definitely have a bunch of regulars that are here every week. We’ve pegged out at about 2,000 people here for one of our bigger concerts, but most weeks we’ll get 600 or so people here.

“And they’ve learned that it can get crowded up here, so they start arriving a couple hours before the music starts and just relax and wait.

“And the cool thing is that they’re here rain or shine. This is just a nice place to come and enjoy an evening of music.”