Lodi Locals
Good morning, Lodi! HAPPY MONDAY! IT’S 6 AM!
June showed up and did not come to play. We’ve got evenings worth clearing your schedule for, a piece of local history that is going to make you see this town differently, and a live true crime night that I have been looking forward to telling you about for a while now.
This one is personal. And this issue has something for everyone.
Let’s get into it!
Hunter & Kylie Talamantez
📣Events
Star Succulent Nursery
Hawaiian Luau Bingo at the Nursery | Thursday, June 5 | 7:00 AM
Okay so I need you to picture this for a second. You’re surrounded by succulents, tiki masks, and tropical flowers, someone calls B-7, and you absolutely lose your mind because you’re one stamp away from winning. That’s the energy at Star Succulent Nursery this Thursday and honestly I am so here for it.
Star Succulent is one of those places that people who know, know. It’s a family run nursery out on Tokay Colony Road that Crystal Walters built from scratch, starting with farmers markets and street fairs back in 2016. Now it’s a full nursery with workshops, terrariums, air plants, and some of the coolest drought tolerant arrangements you’ve ever seen. It’s the kind of spot you drive out to once and then find yourself going back every month.
And this Thursday they’re doing something a little different. Hawaiian Luau Bingo at the Nursery is happening June 5th at 7:00 pm, $20 to get in, and that gets you multiple rounds of bingo plus complimentary snacks. It’s a night event, so the plants are going to look incredible in the evening light, the vibe is going to be relaxed and fun, and you don’t have to be a plant person to have a great time. Though fair warning, you might leave as one.
Tickets and details are at starsucculentnursery.com.
📍 Star Succulent Nursery, 14447 E Tokay Colony Rd, Lodi, CA 95240
Friends of Lodi Instagram
Lodi Lake Nature Area Tour | Sunday, June 14 | 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Here’s a free one worth getting up for. The Friends of Lodi Lake are hosting a guided Nature Area Tour on Sunday, June 14th from 10 to 11 AM, led by their docents Alane and Norm. You’ll meet at the Redwood Amphitheater inside the Nature Area gate and spend the hour learning about what’s actually living and growing in one of Lodi’s most underrated spots.
All ages are welcome, it’s completely free to join, and it’s the kind of outing that makes you feel like you actually live here instead of just passing through. The only heads-up: no dogs on this one, and parking fees still apply when you get to the lake.
If you’ve got kids who are into nature, or you just want a low-key Sunday morning that gets you outside and off your phone, this is an easy yes.
📍 Lodi Lake Nature Area — meet at the Redwood Amphitheater inside the Nature Area gate, Lodi, CA, 95242
WOO GIRL! Cellars
Crime with Kylie Brings Wine and Witness to Woo Girl! Cellars | Wednesday, July 2 | 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM |
On July 2nd, Kylie Talamantez is hosting her first LIVE true crime podcast event right here in wine country at Woo Girl! Cellars and it is the kind of night that does not come around often. Wine and Witness is a live true crime experience taking place in Acampo, and from everything we know about what Kylie has been putting together, this one is going to hit different.
Here is what makes it worth clearing your calendar. The case Kylie is covering is active. It happened in 2025 and it is still unresolved. She has spent months building real relationships with the family and on July 2nd, she is sharing details that have not all been made public. Not speculation. Not a retelling of what you already read somewhere.
Actual information, shared thoughtfully and with the trust of people who want this story told the right way.
That is the standard Kylie holds herself to and it is exactly why this community has rallied around her the way it has.
Woo Girl! Cellars is the perfect home for this. It is a woman-owned estate winery tucked into the Mokelumne River AVA with a tasting room and garden space that feels like it was built for exactly this kind of night. Their rosé is dry, small batch, vegan, and genuinely one of the best pours in the region. You are going to want to be comfortable because Kylie is going to take you somewhere.
Come for the case. Come for the rosé. Come because true crime done right is not entertainment, it is a community showing up for families who still need answers.
Get your tickets and more information here.
Follow Kylie at @crimewithkylie on TikTok and @kylie.talamantez on Instagram for case updates dropping before the event.
📍 Woo Girl! Cellars, 11070 E Woodbridge Rd, Acampo, CA 95220
Woo Girl! Cellars
Estate Rosé Soirée | Saturday, June 13 | 2:30 PM – 7:30 PM
WOO GIRL! Cellars does not do ordinary events, and the Estate Rosé Soirée is proof of that. This one takes place at historic Langford Manor on the Mokelumne River, which is already one of the most beautiful settings in the whole Lodi area, and the vibe they’re building around it is linen, lace, slow pours, and golden hour photos. Think less “winery open house” and more “the afternoon you’ll be talking about all summer.”
There are two ways to experience it. The NO DISCO ticket gets you in from 2:30 to 7:00 PM with a welcome pour of estate rosé, paella with salad and bread, a WOO GIRL! signature macaron, access to the floral photo wall, shopping at the pop-up boutique and Hat Bar, and water stations throughout the garden. The FULL EXPERIENCE runs until 9:00 PM and adds a sunset silent disco: two macarons, a Gelée (a wine-forward treat made with estate rosé), a cupcake from the in-house pastry chef, and a silent disco headset with live DJs on a draped dance floor.
This is an intimate, curated gathering, not a big festival, so once it fills up it’s done. Wine Club members save $25 on every tier. Dress code is Historic Manor Chic: rosé, blush, cream, or champagne tones. This is a 21+ event.
Grab your tickets at woogirlcellars.com.
📍 WOO GIRL! Cellars at Langford Manor — 11070 E. Woodbridge Rd, Acampo, CA
🏡 Family & Kids Corner
Aunt Estella Spills the Beans! | Saturday, June 13 | 10:00 to 11:15 am
Okay this one made me stop scrolling because it is such a cool concept for a morning out with the kids that you won’t find anywhere else.
The Friends of Lodi Lake are bringing back their Second Saturdays series on June 13th and this month’s event is a living history experience that I had no idea existed until now. Costumed docent Alane Dashner is stepping into the role of Estella Smith, the real woman who managed a working ranch right where Lodi Lake Park stands today, from 1902 all the way to 1937. Thirty-five years. That is longer than most of us have been alive, and she ran the whole thing.
The event is called Aunt Estella Spills the Beans and it is exactly what it sounds like. You show up at the Redwood Amphitheater inside the Nature Area, and Aunt Estella is going to tell you things about this lake and this land that you absolutely did not learn in school. The kind of local history that makes you look at a familiar place completely differently on the drive home.
It is free to attend, all ages are welcome, runs about an hour and fifteen minutes, and honestly sounds like the most Lodi Saturday morning I can imagine. Just bring cash for parking and leave the dog at home since they are not allowed in the Nature Area.
📍 Redwood Amphitheater, Lodi Lake Nature Area, 1101 W Turner Rd, Lodi, CA 95240
🎨Art & Culture
Wind Chime Workshop at Meet the Maker | Thursday, June 4 | 5:30 to 8:30 pm
If you have been looking for an excuse to finally check out Meet the Maker, this is it.
Meet The Maker
Michelle opened her ceramic studio on Kettleman Lane a couple years ago after basically willing it into existence. She kept making the drive to Sacramento to do pottery, got tired of it, and decided Lodi deserved its own space. Now it is one of the more quietly special creative spots in town, tucked upstairs in Suite 36 with bright walls, a laid back atmosphere, and everything made by local artists.
This Thursday night she is hosting a ceramic wind chime workshop from 5:30 to 8:30 pm and it is fully beginner friendly. You show up, get a short demonstration, browse some sample designs for inspiration, and then spend the evening building your own one-of-a-kind wind chime out of clay. Playful and colorful or clean and minimal, the direction is completely yours. The team walks you through the whole thing so you are never just sitting there staring at a lump of clay wondering what happened.
It is $40 to attend and honestly sounds like the perfect Thursday. Girls night, date night, or just a solo evening where you make something with your hands and do not think about your inbox for three hours. All of those are valid.
Book your spot at lodiceramics.com.
📍 Meet the Maker, 1110 W Kettleman Ln, Suite 36, Lodi, CA 95240
LodiArtCenter.org
Oil Painting with Marilyn Eger | Wednesday, June 3 | 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
This one is for everyone who has a photo on their phone right now that deserves to be a painting.
Marilyn Eger has been one of the most beloved instructors in Lodi’s art community for years. She spent decades teaching art full time, earned her MFA from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, and has been painting Central Valley landscapes, still life, and portraits with a depth of color that stops people in their tracks. Her work lives at the Lodi Community Art Center year round and she brings that same level of craft and patience into every class she teaches.
June 3rd is Session 1 of her two-part oil painting series, running 9:00 am to noon. The format is simple and genuinely approachable. You pick a photo, any subject you love, print it in color and black and white at canvas size, bring it in, and Marilyn walks you through transferring it and building the painting from the ground up. She coaches color theory, mixing, composition, and technique the whole way through. Nobody is left guessing.
Class size caps at nine students so the attention you get is real. Open to all experience levels, high school age and up.
Pricing is $100 for both sessions for members, $145 for non-members. To register, pay via PayPal at [email protected] or Venmo at @Marilyn-Eger, then text Marilyn directly at 209.327.8518 to confirm. Full supply list at lodiartcenter.org.
📍 Lodi Community Art Center, 110 W Pine St, Lodi, CA 95240
Hutchins Street Square
Open Mic at the Square | Friday, June 5 | 7:00 pm
Lodi has a performing arts theatre that seats 769 people and this Friday night it belongs to you.
Open Mic at the Square is happening at the Charlene Powers Lange Performing Arts Theatre inside Hutchins Street Square and the lineup is entirely up to whoever shows up. Poets, musicians, comedians, singers, spoken word artists. If you have something to say or perform, the stage is literally open.
Each performer gets two minutes to set up and five minutes to do their thing. The venue provides two microphones with adjustable stands, a phone plug-in for backing tracks, and a power source for instruments. You bring the talent, the nerves, and your people.
It is free to attend and free to perform, which means there is genuinely no reason not to go whether you are stepping up or just there to support whoever is brave enough to take the mic. Open mic nights at a real theatre feel different than a coffee shop corner. This one has some weight to it.
If you want to perform, sign up in advance by emailing [email protected] with your name, phone number, and type of performance.
📍 Charlene Powers Lange Performing Arts Theatre, 125 S Hutchins St, Lodi, CA 95240
🎶 LIVE MUSIC | JUNE 2026
FRI - JUN 5
GeorgeTowne (Country/Acoustic)
Jessie's Grove Winery | 1973 W Turner Rd, Lodi | 6:00 - 9:00 PM
https://www.jessiesgrovewinery.com/events-calendar/after-hours-ft-georgetowne/
SAT - JUN 6
Summit Band (Classic Rock/Dance)
Jessie's Grove Winery | 1973 W Turner Rd, Lodi | 5:00 - 8:00 PM
https://www.jessiesgrovewinery.com/events-calendar/summit-band/
SAT - JUN 6
The Killer Dueling Pianos ($45 public / $40 club)
Bare Ranch by Michael David Winery | 19877 Davis Rd, Lodi | 7:00 - 10:00 PM
https://shop.michaeldavidwinery.com/product/The-Killer-Dueling-Pianos-2026
SUN - JUN 7
Abigail Taylor (Country/Vocals)
Jessie's Grove Winery | 1973 W Turner Rd, Lodi | 1:00 - 4:00 PM
https://www.jessiesgrovewinery.com/events-calendar/abigail-taylor-2/
FRI - JUN 12
Network Band (Classic Rock)
Jessie's Grove Winery | 1973 W Turner Rd, Lodi | 6:00 - 9:00 PM
https://www.jessiesgrovewinery.com/events-calendar/after-hours-ft-network-band/
SAT - JUN 13
Groovin' in the Grove: Animals (Maroon 5 Tribute) & Gwen in Doubt (No Doubt Tribute) ($45)
Jessie's Grove Winery | 1973 W Turner Rd, Lodi | 7:00 PM
https://www.jessiesgrovewinery.com/events-calendar/groovin-in-the-grove-ft-gwen-in-doubt-animals/
SUN - JUN 14
Nathan Ignecio (Folk/Blues)
Jessie's Grove Winery | 1973 W Turner Rd, Lodi | 1:00 - 4:00 PM
https://www.jessiesgrovewinery.com/events-calendar/nathan-ignecio/SUN -
JUN 14
Addington, Rogers & Gill (Acoustic)
Wilson Family Winery | 18273 N Lower Sacramento Rd, Lodi | 6:00 PM
https://visitlodi.com/event/live-music-wilson-family-winery/
FRI - JUN 19
BananaFish (High-Energy/Multi-Genre)
Jessie's Grove Winery | 1973 W Turner Rd, Lodi | 6:00 - 9:00 PM
https://www.jessiesgrovewinery.com/events-calendar/after-hours-ft-bananafish/
SAT - JUN 20
LODIPALOOZA: Blackdaze / Stone Temple Peruvians / Mary Jane Mafia / Scar Tissue / The Pumpkin Heads
($75 GA / VIP available)
Oak Farm Vineyards | 23627 N DeVries Rd, Lodi | 12:00 PM - 10:00 PM
https://visitlodi.com/events/lodipalooza-at-oak-farm-vineyards/
SAT - JUN 20
Valley Groove Band (Dance/Feel-Good)
Jessie's Grove Winery | 1973 W Turner Rd, Lodi | 6:00 - 8:00 PM
https://www.jessiesgrovewinery.com/events-calendar/valley-groove-band/
SUN - JUN 21
No Way Back (Rock) - Father's Day
Jessie's Grove Winery | 1973 W Turner Rd, Lodi | 1:00 - 4:00 PM
https://www.jessiesgrovewinery.com/events-calendar/no-way-back/
SUN - JUN 21
She Calls Him Wilson (Live Music) - Father's Day Cigar & Whiskey Lounge
Oak Farm Vineyards | 23627 N DeVries Rd, Lodi | 12:00 - 4:00 PM
https://www.oakfarmvineyards.com/upcoming-events/
WED - JUN 24
Farmers Market Night (Free)
Michael David Winery | 4580 W Hwy 12, Lodi | 5:00 - 8:00 PM
https://michaeldavidwinery.com/events/
FRI - JUN 26 & SAT - JUN 27
Misfits Americana Backyard BBQ w/ Live Music ($35
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! 🍇
