Lodi Locals
Good morning, Lodi!! We are quickly nearing the end of June and boy oh boy, has there been a lot to do.
In fact, there’s still so much more to tell you about the upcoming events this month between today’s, Friday’s, and next Monday’s newsletter, so definitely keep an eye on your inbox!
In today’s newsletter, you can expect a variety from bbq, to wine and true crime, and several crafting events for kids and adults alike.
As always, if you have any event suggestions or inquires, you can use the link in this newsletter or email us at [email protected]
— Kylie and Hunter Talamantez
📣Events
Created by: Hunter Talamantez
Wine & Witness: A LIVE True Crime Podcast Recording featuring Crime with Kylie | Thursday, July 2 | Evening 7:00-8:30 PM
Okay, this one is mine, so I am extra excited to tell you about it (again). I am taking Crime with Kylie out of your earbuds and onto the lawn at Woo Girl Cellars for a live recording, and I want you there for it. We are talking true crime, candlelight, and rosé in hand while I dig into a case live in front of an actual audience instead of just my microphone. If you have ever listened to an episode and thought you would have so many questions if you could just ask them in person, this is your chance.
It is happening right on the Tasting Room Lawn at Woo Girl, so bring a blanket or a chair if you want to get comfortable, and expect the kind of evening where wine flows and the story gets a little spookier as the sky gets darker.
Tickets can be found here!
📍 WOO GIRL! Cellars Tasting Room Lawn: 11070 E. Woodbridge Road, Acampo, CA 95220
Created by: Block 21 Winery
Block Party at Block 21 Winery | Friday, June 26 | 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Good news for anyone who loves a low key Friday night out. Block 21 Winery is kicking off their Block Party Series, and the very first one lands this Friday. Picture string lights, an open patio, and a crowd that knows how to pull up a chair and stay a while. Dejay and the OG's are handling the music, A Moveable Feast is taking care of the food, and the wine, well, you already know it is going to be good.
Grab a chair, grab your people, and post up under that wide open Lodi sky while the sun does its slow summer fade. This one is the very definition of great wine, live music, good friends, and good times.
And here is the best part, it is a monthly series, so once you fall for it you can keep coming back all summer long.
Learn more here!
📍Block 21 Winery, 21610 N Davis Rd, Lodi, CA 95242
Created by: LodiArtCenter
Paper Trail Junk Journal Meetup at the Lodi Community Art Center
Thursday, June 25 | 5:00 PM (during the Farmers Market)
Calling all the creative ones, the paper hoarders, and anyone who has ever wanted an excuse to make something with their hands.
The Lodi Community Art Center is hosting its very first Paper Trail Junk Journal Meetup with instructor Whitney Owen, and it lands right during the Farmers Market, so you can wander the stalls and then settle in for a cozy evening of crafting. Things kick off at 5:00 pm. Whether you have been journaling for years or you have never once touched a glue stick, you are welcome here.
The cover is just five dollars and basic supplies are included, or for twenty dollars you can do the Make and Take journal page, a fun photobooth themed project with everything you need provided. There will also be scrap packs, journals, and extra goodies to take home if you catch the bug. Come make something beautiful, meet a few kindred spirits, and leave with your hands a little inky and your heart a little fuller.
Good to know:
• Five dollar cover, basic supplies provided
• Twenty dollar Make and Take journal page, all supplies included
• All skill levels welcome, from seasoned journalers to total beginners
📍 Lodi Community Art Center, 110 West Pine Street, Lodi, CA 95240
Created By: Michael David Winery
Americana Backyard BBQ at Michael David Winery
Friday, June 26 & Saturday, June 27 | 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
If you have been waiting for a reason to round up everyone you love and just go be together, this
is it. Michael David is throwing an Americana Backyard BBQ, and the best part is that it runs two nights, so there is really no excuse. Friday filling up? Come Saturday. Want to do both? Even better.
Either way you get live music from The Whiskey Kiss Band keeping the whole place buzzing with those upbeat summer vibes, a plate of crowd favorite BBQ from Park's Barks, and two glasses of Michael David wine that come right along with your ticket. You barely have to lift a finger. Just show up and settle in.
And can we talk about the setting for a second? This is the time of year when our wide open Lodi sky earns its keep. People love to tease us about how flat it is out here, but that flatness is exactly why we get those endless summer evenings where you can watch the sun stretch low and the clouds light up in every color, all of it on full display with nothing in the way. You sit back with a glass of wine, the music going, your favorite people around the table, and the whole sky doing its thing overhead. That is the good stuff right there.
A few things to know before you go:
• Advance tickets are required, and they are non refundable, so grab yours early
• 21 and up only, valid ID required
• No outside food or alcohol, but trust me, they have got you covered
📍Michael David Winery, 4580 W Highway 12, Lodi, CA 95242
🎉Submit an Event!
Got an event you think the community should know about? We're now accepting submissions from our readers, so if you're hosting something public in Lodi or know about an event that deserves a spotlight, send it our way. We're excited to start featuring your events alongside everything else happening around town.
🏡 Family & Kids Corner
Created by: CityofLodi.gov
Music with Strings Attached | Saturday, June 27th | 3:00 PM to 3:45 PM
If you have little ones at home, this one is an easy yes. Strings Attached is bringing their family show to the Lodi Public Library, and it is open to all ages, so the whole crew can come. This is the same talented group of Sayla Music Academy (https://www.saylamusicacademy.com/) instructors who weave together cello, voice, and piano into something playful and upbeat. Think jazz and blues reworked in a fun, classy way that keeps kids wide eyed and parents tapping along.
It runs a sweet and simple 45 minutes, which is just about the perfect attention span for the younger ones before anybody gets squirmy. Best part? It is completely free, generously sponsored by the Friends of Lodi Public Library (https://www.lodi.gov/214/Lodi-Public-Library). It is also a lovely excuse to make a library afternoon out of it while the summer reading season is in full swing.
I love seeing live music made just for families right here in town. Swing by, grab a seat, and let the kids soak it in.
📍 Lodi Public Library, 201 W. Locust Street, Lodi, CA 95240
Created By: Meet The Maker
Hello Kitty Paint Event | Sunday, June 28th | 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Calling all Hello Kitty lovers, this one is adorable. Meet the Maker Ceramic Studio (https://elfinc.ticketbud.com/) is hosting a Hello Kitty paint event, and it is truly made for the whole family. Hello Kitty has been a favorite for decades now, crossing generations, so this is your chance to bring the kids (or the grands!) and have a blast painting her together.
Your instructor is local artist Elf, who will walk you through it stroke by stroke until you have your very own ready to hang masterpiece. No experience needed whatsoever, so do not let a blank canvas scare you off. Your ticket covers all the painting supplies, plus family friendly snacks and drinks to keep everyone happy while you create.
Tickets are $40 and the event is geared toward ages 8 and up, which makes it a sweet weekend activity for slightly older kiddos and the grownups too. Grab your spot through the ticket page here before it fills, then come make something you will actually want to hang on the wall.
📍 Meet the Maker, 1110 West Kettleman Lane Ste 36, Lodi, CA 95240
✨Community Spotlight
Lodi Lake Boathouse
The Barn That Became a Boathouse
Most people who rent a kayak at Lodi Lake on a Saturday morning are not thinking about what stood on that spot a hundred years ago. They are thinking about sunscreen and whether their phone is actually waterproof. But the building they are standing near traces back to the 1920s, when Louis Mason of the Mason Fruit Company built a dance hall and a barn on his land at the lake, back when most of Lodi still called it Smith's Lake. The city eventually took over that barn and turned it into a boathouse, years before the lake was even an official city park.
The throughline from there to now is not a straight one. The lake became Lodi Lake Park in 1934 after Mason and Estella Smith sold their land to the city. The boathouse kept renting boats through decades of ownership changes, landing for a stretch as Headwaters Kayak Shop, run for ten years by Dan Arbuckle before the pandemic forced a split. The retail shop on Turner Road changed hands in 2020. The boathouse on the water kept paddling forward under new ownership, eventually becoming Lodi Boathouse under Abigail Christensen.
🐾 Cutest Pups In Lodi
We asked you all to show us your pups, and boy did you not disappoint!
Meet Daisy! She is an incredibly active Goldendoodle who loves to go long distance running with her owner! She brings home the gold (literally), but also enjoys her rest and relaxation. Her favorite activity aside from going on runs is going to Starbucks for a pup cup! She get’s excited the second she sees that drive-thru sign!
Local V.I.P (Very Important Pup)
Local V.I.P (Very Important Pup)
Local V.I.P (Very Important Pup)
🎶 LIVE MUSIC | SUMMER 2026
— JUNE 2026 —
Wed - Jun 24
Whiskey Kiss – Music in the Park | ~7:00 PM
📍 Hutchins Street Square – West Park - 125 S Hutchins St, Lodi
Wed - June 26
William Sconce & Brandon Cline – Picnics by The Pond | ~6:30 PM
📍 Mettler Family Vineyards – 7889 East Harney Lane
— JULY 2026 —
Sat - Jul 11
CCSeger + Bad Miller – Groovin' in the Grove (Bob Seger / Steve Miller / Bad Co. Tributes) | 7:00 PM
📍 Jessie's Grove Winery - 1973 W Turner Rd, Lodi
Sat - Jul 18
Good Ol' Boyz (Country Hip-Hop) | 7:00–10:00 PM
📍 Five Window Beer Co. - 9 W Locust St, Lodi
Wed - Jul 22
Donovan Bryant – Music in the Park | ~7:00 PM
📍 Hutchins Street Square – West Park - 125 S Hutchins St, Lodi
Sat - Jul 25
Forejour – Groovin' in the Grove (Foreigner + Journey Tribute) | 7:00 PM
📍 Jessie's Grove Winery - 1973 W Turner Rd, Lodi
— AUGUST 2026 —
Sat - Aug 8
📍 Jessie's Grove Winery - 1973 W Turner Rd, Lodi
📍 Idol Beer Works - 100 S Sacramento St, Lodi
Wed - Aug 26 Agents of Rock – Music in the Park | ~7:00 PM
📍 Hutchins Street Square – West Park - 125 S Hutchins St, Lodi
Sun - Aug 23
📍 Jessie's Grove Winery - 1973 W Turner Rd, Lodi
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! 🍇
