The Guild, POA provide variety of 2024 concerts at the Lodge

BY Aprile McKinnon

(Due to a production error, the front page story about the concerts provided to Canyon Lake was cut off and did not continue, as intended, on an inside page. The full story is provided here in its entirety. The Friday Flyer apologizes for the error.)

Canyon Lake is lucky to have two very unique musical organizations with different focuses but with a united quality for the love of good music and the availability of having fantastic concerts for the community.

The Canyon Lake Fine Arts Guild and the Canyon Lake POA’s Concerts at the Lodge Series both provide quality concerts for the Canyon Lake community throughout the year.

The Fine Arts Guild traces its formation to a January evening in 2001, when the Canyon Lake Woman’s Club sponsored an event to raise money for a baby grand piano in the Holiday Bay Room of the Canyon Lake Lodge. The audience, dressed in gowns, jewelry, furs and tuxedos, enjoyed classical music performed by the Inland Valley Symphony. Woman’s Club President Mavis Schaffner was so inspired by the receptive audience she proposed the formalization of what became The Canyon Lake Fine Arts Guild.

Over the past 20-plus years, the community has enjoyed musical offerings from concerts of classical and opera to Broadway, jazz, swing, country and rock. After initially offering a spring and fall concert, the Guild now provides five concerts per year.

One of the Guild’s most successful recent events has been the Harvest Fest, which brought crowds together for a free event consisting of music, food, vendors and more at the Holiday Harbor Amphitheater.

The Guild has been and continues to be a team effort. The current board consists of President and Activities Director Bonnie Dubbs, VP and Operations Director Larry Garland, Publicity and Security Director Chris Papavero, Treasurer Cindy Cameron, Secretary Shari Skidmore, Membership Director, Brian Wood and Governance Kasey Castillo.

Many community members are responsible for the start and creation of the Guild. Those responsible for its formation include Mavis and Marlo Schaffner, Art Zasio, Ken and Dorothy Cable, Vick Knight, Audrey Barrows, Carol Vaughn and Shirley Beauttas.

“The Guild will continue to change as the culture and community change in Canyon Lake, Bonnie said. “The Guild is thankful to all who contribute, donate their time and support the music program that the community has enjoyed through continued input and support for this program. The Guild intends to continue delivering quality music at an affordable price to help Canyon Lake remain a little bit of paradise.”

The current concert lineup is for 2024 is March 2, Matt Mauser as Frank Sinatra, May 18, Tribute to Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, July 13, All American Girl tribute to Carrie Underwood and Shania Twain, Sept. 21 Tribute to Bon Jovi at the Harbor Fest, Oct. 19, K-Tel All-Stars super hits of the 70’s.

The Canyon Lake Guild is a non profit organization and counts on volunteers and contributions from the community. For more information contact the Guild directly at CanyonLakeGuild.org

The Canyon Lake POA puts on the Concerts at the Lodge series. The concerts are unlike the Tribute Concerts put on by The Canyon Lake Guild, but instead complement what the Guild does by putting on concerts of known bands that concert promoter Doug Schultz schedules to perform.

“This business is all about relationships,” Doug Schultz, Talent Buyer, Producer, and Emcee of the Canyon Lake Concerts at the Lodge Series, said. “Because of those relationships, national recording artists perform live, in concert, right here in Canyon Lake.”

Doug is the man for the job. He has a 30-year history of over 2,000 live concerts working with nearly 4,000 national acts. He is a high performance Independent contractor/facilitator of all facets of concert events. His detail in full-scale event production and his outstanding client development skills in managing/budgeting pro formas has helped him land amazing artists for the Canyon Lake Lodge stage.

Doug also brings to the job skills in direct supervision of events using cutting edge methods and a proven ability to work collaboratively with sales and marketing staffs.

And, anyone who has ever met Doug can attest to his infectious enthusiasm and salesmanship. He exudes excitement and confidence when promoting an upcoming concert at the Lodge.

With spectacular hits and songs that the community will enjoy, tickets tend to sell out quickly. These concerts also take place at The Lodge in the Holiday Bay Room. These concerts include a 30-minute opening act prior to the “Big Show.”

The Concerts at the Lodge has been a very popular series of entertainment where the community can see top-named bands at an affordable price.

“We’ve got an incredible line-up of shows this year,” Doug said. “Next month’s Oingo Boingo concert is already sold out. Tickets are available for the balance of the year’s concerts. Don’t get shut out. Get your tickets today.”

This year’s schedule is Feb. 10, Oingo Boingo, April 20, Thompson Square, a hot country music act that is topping the charts and winning awards, Aug. 10, Marcy Playground, an alternative rock band, whose signature smash hit, Sex & Candy, was #1 on the Billboard, Hot 100 List for eight weeks, and Nov. 2, Colt Ford, a big country music star with 1.5 billion music streams. Tickets can be purchased at www.canyonlakepoa.com/concerts.

Both The Guild’s Bonnie Dubbs and Concerts at the Lodge producer Doug Schultz were recently honored for their dedication to the Canyon Lake Community by the Canyon Lake Property Owners Association. 2024 promises to be an exciting lineup for both concert series.