TNEF Summer Concert Series debuts once again at the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve pavilion

and Kris Kristofferson will make their appearance on Saturday, July 8, an opportunity for fans to dress country.

The mood changes on July 15 with Private Eyes, the premiere Hall & Oates tribute band, that will bring out their very best in the era’s pop and rock music. The duo is new to the SRP stage this year and will bring a unique program for fans.

Then on July 22 Motown doowop, soul and R&B will lend a harmony to the outdoors and bring back memories for many with their “Endless Love” for each other, a favorite in previous years TNEF Summer Concert Series. There is room for dancing in front of the stage for those in a romantic mood. It is music that will never die.

Beach Boys conclusion

The Nature Education Foundation will begin its Summer Concert Series on June 24. Valley News/Courtesy photo

Tony Ault

The Nature Education Foundation at the Santa Rosa Plateau announced the highly anticipated Live Plateau Art Show and Summer Concert Series with six top tribute bands and a gala Opening Night Art Show beginning June 24 at the plateau Visitor Center and outdoor stage.

The TNEF shows will feature some of the best tribute bands for Elton John, The Highwayman, Hall & Oates, Motown/ Soul/R&B, The Beach Boys and The Bee Gees with tickets now on sale online at PlateauConcertsAndArt.org. Ticket costs range from $44 for TNEF members to $55 for the general public. VIP tickets are also available. Tickets available at www.the-nef.org. No tickets are sold at the event.

Net proceeds will benefit the nonprofit TNEF at the Plateau and its education programs including third grade student trips to the plateau with Riverside County Parks and Open Space District Santa Rosa Plateau Park interpreters, docents and teachers. It offers many other educational opportunities with its purpose to provide young people a learning pathway leading toward a life of environmental stewardship especially with today’s climate change.

Opening night special

Opening night of the Summer Concert Series on June 24 will include a nature art show and sale by local and internationally known artists and a special performance from the Temecula Academy of Ballet Arts at the Visitors Center at 39400 Clinton Keith Road in Murrieta. The opening night show is a special event with tickets for the art show and the performance that evening starting at $108 for TNEF members and $135 for the general public. Tickets are limited so order early.

The Elton John tribute group will begin the actual Summer Concert Series season on Saturday, July 1. Ticket holders are reminded that performances are held outdoors in front of the recently rebuilt stage pavilion, and to bring their own lawn chairs and appropriate clothing as the evenings become cooler. Wine and beer will be available for adults as well as soft drinks.There will be sponsor booths available for information and TNEF memberships that provide benefits at the plateau and events.

The Highwayman, with his many country-western “Outlaw” subgenre songs of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson

It’s time to remember those beautiful summer days on California beaches on July 29 when the Beach Boys tribute band brings it to the SRP pavilion, the number one tribute band in the US. No boogie boards and longboards permitted for this performance, but those brightly-colored beach shirts and straw hats will be a comfort in the hot summer temperatures on the plateau.

And wrapping up the TNEF Summer Concert Series will be Bee Gees Gold, playing the music of the legendary Bee Gees, on August 5, keeping everyone “Stayin’ Alive” with any “Night Fever” one might face in the hot August nights. Disco becomes popular once more on the pavilion as the bell-bottomed performers dance and sing.

Buy tickets at www.the-nef.org or at the event’s website, www. plateauconcertsandart.org.

TNEF hopes everyone will not miss a beat this summer as the Summer Concert Series delights all in the beautiful outdoor Santa

Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve.

It will be a time never to forget. It will also be a time to celebrate the great outdoors and to honor the efforts of all those dedicated to preserving their environment for future generations. Season tickets are available at $112 for TNEF members and $140 general admission tickets.

The Foundation serves as a funder and environmental education program development resource, to support educators, school districts, youth agencies and other nonprofits with the goal of creating educational experiences that will shape the development of a young citizen toward a life of environmental stewardship.

The Foundation is a nonprofit, environmental project-based learning program. Students actively become aware, explore and address environmental challenges while building skills in teamwork and communication, research, data collection and analysis, community engagement and reflection. The Foundation’s programs enable and require students to delve deeply into a range of academic content while investigating environmental issues affecting the natural world in their own backyard. Programs and projects are fun, full of adventure and provided at no cost to students.

The Foundation serves youth in grades 3-12 throughout 10 Southwest Riverside County school districts and also provides scholarships for graduating seniors who are pursuing a field of study in the environmental sciences. See www.the-nef.org. Call the office at 951-319-2998. Contact information: Ginger Greaves. 909-732-2209 or execdirector@ srpnef.org

Tony Ault can be reached at tault@reedermedia.com