Lodi Locals
Hey Lodi Locals!
This morning’s issue is putting real focus on art and music going on within our community.
We've got art camps for the kids, a stress-relieving patio music night for the adults, a handcrafted art fair at one of the most beautiful wineries in the valley, and a full-blown western block party across three wineries with a trolley to get you between them.
June is not playing around, and neither are we. Grab your coffee, take a scroll, and start blocking off your calendar — you're going to want to be at all of these. 🤠🎨🍷
📣Events
Heritage Oak Winery
Stress Therapy | Friday, June 12th | 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
If your week needs a reset, this one's for you. Heritage Oak Winery is hosting Live Music Evenings on the Patio: aptly named "Stress Therapy.” The name says it all. Think good wine, live music drifting across the front patio, and the kind of easy, unhurried evening that reminds you why you love living in Lodi wine country.
For just $10 per person, you get a front-row seat to a relaxed outdoor concert experience with Heritage Oak wines available by the glass or bottle. Picnics are welcome, so pack your favorite bites, grab your people, and settle in. The setting is open-sky Lodi at its best — the kind of night you don't want to rush home from.
Table space is limited, so reservations are required. Email [email protected] with the number of guests in your group to lock in your spot before it fills up. No outside alcohol permitted.
📍 Heritage Oak Winery, Lodi, CA — 10112 E. Woodbridge Rd., Acampo, CA 95220
Alpine Block Party
Alpine Block Party 2026: Wild, Wild West | Saturday, May 30th | 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Dust off your boots and grab your best western hat because the Alpine Block Party is back, and this year's theme is Wild, Wild West. If you've never done this one before, consider this your official invitation to stop sleeping on it.
Here's how it works: three of Lodi's Alpine Road wineries; Klinker Brick, Stonum, and PRIE, throw open their doors for one big, sprawling block party and you roam freely between all three. The Lodi Wine Trolley shuttles you from spot to spot, so the only thing you have to worry about is which wine to try next. Live music keeps the energy going at every stop, local food vendors have the snacks covered, and the whole thing wraps up under a Lodi sunset with the kind of golden-hour glow that makes everything feel a little more cinematic.
Come dressed in your cowboy best, round up your crew, and make a whole evening of it. Get your tickets here!
📍 Alpine Road, Lodi, CA — Klinker Brick, Stonum & PRIE Wineries
Heritage Oak Winery
Summer Art Fair at Heritage Oak Winery | Saturday, June 13 | 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Summer and local art…ah, name a better combo. I know we’ve already mentioned them today, but Heritage Oak Winery is hosting their annual Summer Art Fair on the grounds, and it's the kind of Saturday afternoon that's easy to love. Stroll through a curated lineup of local vendors selling handcrafted goods, sip on Heritage Oak wine, and soak up the vineyard setting while you shop.
Whether you're hunting for something one-of-a-kind to add to your home, looking for a thoughtful gift, or just want a good reason to get outside, this is your excuse.
Supporting local makers and local wine in one afternoon? That's a Lodi kind of Saturday.
Mark your calendar and plan to stay a while — with vendors, wine, and 106 acres of vineyard views, there's no reason to rush.
📍 10112 E. Woodbridge Rd., Acampo, CA 9522
Boots & Bubbly | Saturday, June 13th | 5:00 - 10:00 PM
If you're looking for a reason to pull out your best boots, this is it. The Junior League of San Joaquin County is throwing their big fundraiser of the year and it sounds like it doubles as a fun night out. We're talking dinner, line dancing, raffles, and live music from Mama Foxxy and the Whiskey Gypsy Rebels.
Tickets are $125 per person, and every dollar goes toward supporting the Junior League's community mission here in San Joaquin County. Grab your friends and make a night of it.
📍Capecchio Ovest, 11280 N. Alpine Road
🏡 Family & Kids Corner
Youth Summer Art Workshops – Week 1 at Lodi Art Center | June 1–5 | 10 AM
Lodi Community Arts Center
If your kid lights up at a blank piece of paper or has been begging to try something new this summer, the Lodi Community Art Center has exactly what you've been looking for. Week 1 of their Youth Summer Art Workshops runs Monday, June 1 through Friday, June 5 at 10 AM, and spots are small by design.
Led by instructor Whitney Owen, these hands-on classes are built for kids ages 3 through 12+ and focused on way more than just making something pretty. Each project is designed to build creativity, confidence, and self-expression in a low-pressure, encouraging environment. For kids who thrive when they're making things with their hands, this is the kind of week that sticks with them. All classes are held at the Lodi Community Art Center in downtown Lodi, with the exception of the Wednesday, June 3rd session, which will be held offsite; so plan accordingly for drop-off that day.
Summer is long, screens are easy, and creative skills are something they'll carry forever. This is a great way to fill a week with something genuinely meaningful — and give your kid a reason to be proud of what they made. Class sizes are small, so don't wait to register.
📍 Lodi Community Art Center — Downtown Lodi, CA
🔗 Register at lodiartcenter.org
Wet Felting & Needle Felting at Lodi Art Center | Saturday, June 6 | 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Lodi Community Arts Center
Free, hands-on, and so cool for kids — the Lodi Community Art Center's Kids' Corner event on Saturday, June 6th is the kind of afternoon activity that makes kids put the tablet down without a fight. This month's project is wet felting and needle felting, where kids use wool, warm water, and their own two hands to create colorful felted art from scratch. It's tactile, it's satisfying, and it's the kind of craft that feels like magic when it comes together.
Open to ages 5 through 18, all supplies are provided and the event is completely free; no registration fee, no supply list, just show up ready to create. Whether your kid is already artsy or just looking for something different to do on a Saturday afternoon, this is a low-commitment, high-fun way to try something new. The Lodi Art Center does a great job making these accessible and welcoming for all skill levels, so first-timers fit right in.
Drop in, make something beautiful, and support the incredible creative space right in the heart of downtown Lodi. Events like this are exactly why this community is so special.
📍 110 W. Pine St., Downtown Lodi, CA
🔗 More info at lodiartcenter.org
✨Community Spotlight
Lodi Community Arts Center
You've probably walked past it without thinking twice; a boldly painted traffic signal box on a downtown corner, or a large-scale mural on the side of a building telling the story of this town in color. What most people don't realize is how much of that creative energy traces back to one small, deeply committed nonprofit that has been keeping the arts alive in Lodi since 1931. The Lodi Community Art Center at 110 W. Pine Street is one of the oldest continuously operating art centers in California, started in the 1930s when a group of local artists gathered under a woman named Ethyl Bolinger who dedicated gallery space to what they simply called the "Lodi Art Club." It officially became the Lodi Community Art Center in the 1940s, incorporated as a nonprofit in 1960, and has been a constant presence through it all — today operating a gallery and studio open to the public Friday through Sunday, 11 AM to 4 PM, right in the heart of downtown.
Those painted signal boxes you see around town? Those are part of the City of Lodi's Arts Commission Call to Artists program, which invites local and regional artists to submit original designs for traffic control boxes and even storm drains throughout the city — and the Art Center is woven right into that creative ecosystem. The downtown murals go even deeper: they were launched by the Walldogs, a renowned international team of sign painters who came to Lodi and captured its agricultural roots, local history, and small-town character in sweeping large-scale works that are now a defining part of the downtown streetscape. Since then, local artists have continued adding to the collection, turning the whole downtown into a free, self-guided public art experience that belongs to everyone who lives here.
Here's what gets overlooked in the conversation about all of this: public art isn't just decoration, and it isn't just for tourists. Research consistently shows that communities with public art experience lower stress, stronger civic pride, reduced social isolation, and a deeper sense of belonging among residents. For a city like Lodi where people aren't passing through — they're raising families, building businesses, and putting down roots; art that reflects this place back to the people who call it home is closer to infrastructure than it is to aesthetics. The Art Center leans fully into that with free kids events like the monthly Kids' Corner, year-round classes for all ages, gallery shows, and the Lodi Art Hop every other month at Veterans Park — a free, all-ages event with local artists, live music, and hands-on activities for the whole family. The next one is Saturday, June 13th, 10 AM to 2 PM. It's free, it's fun, and it's one of the most genuinely community-built events on the Lodi calendar. Show up for it.
🎶 LIVE MUSIC | LATE MAY & EARLY JUNE 2026
FRI - MAY 30; Live Music at Five Window Beer Co. 📍 9 W Locust St, Lodi, CA - 🕖 7–10 PM
SAT - MAY 30; Rock on Tap (Classic Rock) ; 📍 1973 W Turner Rd, Lodi, CA - 🕔 5–8 PM
SUN - MAY 31; She Calls Him Wilson (Acoustic Duo/Covers) ; 📍 1973 W Turner Rd, Lodi, CA - 🕐 1–4 PM
THU - JUN 4; Thursday Night Music ft. Dana D 📍 23627 N DeVries Rd, Lodi, CA - 🕔 5–8 PM
SAT - JUN 6; Freestyle at the Lake ft. Sharyn Maceren & Christina Marie ; 📍 Valensin Vineyard & Winery, Lodi, CA - 🕕 6 PM
Thanks for reading! It means more than you know that you take a few minutes out of your day to stay connected with our little corner of the world. See you around Lodi! 🍇
