After funding set backs, “Live on the Lawn” performances have emerged in Children’s Park
By Sam DeLong
A nonprofit dedicated to supporting the arts in Chico, Sound Source, is moving forward with a free, outdoor concert series at Children’s Park in downtown Chico.
Organizer Ryan Sanders has been seeking funding for his “Live on the Lawn” series since 2025, with plans to bring five weekly concerts to the park every Saturday in May, from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. The series began May 2 and will conclude on May 30 with a performance by Sonic Gravity.
Sanders told CN&R he envisioned live music serving as an entertaining backdrop for downtown foot traffic while creating a welcoming community gathering space. He has worked in live music production for decades, including sound production with the Downtown Chico Business Association since 2001.
Shortly after launching the nonprofit last year, Sanders had hoped Chico would secure a $120,000 grant to help fund the project (see Chico music lovers hope to rally support). When that effort fell through, another local organization stepped in. Despite aggressive fundraising, Sound Source initially came up short. The Lupin Legacy Foundation ultimately donated $27,250 to keep the project going.
Sanders said Children’s Park was always his first choice for the venue. “I grew up attending concerts at Children’s Park, and I think it’s the ideal venue,” he said. “The grass, the shade trees, being right next to the creek and the playground—I wanted to bring that same energy back to the park for the next generation.”
Sound Source has also partnered with several local organizations. At the center of those efforts is Samantha Zangrilli, project manager of Your Local Marketplace, a popular recurring pop-up market venture. Zangrilli said she and Sanders have collaborated for years on sound and event production. She is serving as vendor manager at the concerts, with six regular-attending vendors expected. But efforts are being made to encourage more small downtown businesses to promote themselves at the concerts.
“Over the years I had come to Ryan about sound design and logistics for different clients,” Zangrilli said. “It was really at Makers Muse that we connected.”
Makers Muse, an annual street festival, is just one of many projects organized by Maker Radio, located at the Chico Idea Fab Lab. And Sanders is also aligned with many other Maker Radio productions. According to one of the managers, Erin Banwell, Sanders not only makes some of the weekly content for Maker Radio’s station KWQA 94.5 FM, Sanders is also involved with “creating public performance opportunities for local and emerging musicians.” As for the Live on the Lawn concerts, “all of the audio recordings will be put into general rotation on Maker Radio,” says Banwell.
Event infrastructure includes services from Johnny on the Spot and North Valley Waste Management. The stage is set up and removed after each show to preserve the park’s natural setting.
As for the performance selections, Sanders said he was intentional about booking artists not already part of Chico’s regular music rotation. “I really want to bring in high-caliber talent that often doesn’t appear in Chico,” he said. “While we love our local scene, the goal was to bring something new—genre-diverse artists who can deliver a world-class performance while keeping that family-friendly, community-focused vibe.”
The first weekend drew a strong turnout, according to Sanders.
“We had a couple hundred people in attendance, and the reaction was joy, gratitude and surprise,” he said. “Multiple families told me they were in awe that such a small organization could achieve this level of production while still capturing that perfect Chico vibe.”
“Live on the Lawn” continues every Saturday night in May at Children’s Park, wrapping up May 30 with local band Sonic Gravity. The full lineup and schedule can be found at CN&R’s Calendar/Live on the Lawn.
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