The Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) marks its 50^th year in 2025—highlighting the park’s beginnings and history, its natural beauty, and all that is offered today within its 33,000 acres.

One of the park’s signature summer events hosted by the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park is Rhythm on the River, which hits its own milestone with the fifth year of the annual concert series.

The free outdoor music festival returns this Sunday, June 8 in Howe Meadow, 4040 Riverview Road, in Peninsula, with live music that showcases musical talents from across Ohio and programming that highlights CVNP’s rich jazz history. The series continues on Sunday, July 13 and Sunday, Aug. 10. Each event in the summer series runs from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., with gates opening at 2 p.m. In addition to live music, the events feature food trucks, vendors, and field games for people of all ages.

Nikki D & the Sisters of Thunder"Just to see our growth from launching in the pandemic [in 2020] to today—being this front door experience into Ohio's national park—it's really something I'm very proud of," says Donté Gibbs, the Conservancy’s vice president of community partnerships. “We'll have some new and returning performers, a few new food trucks, and also we're starting at an earlier time."
Each month brings new sounds and activities to Howe Meadow, providing something for everyone, and serves as an introduction to the National Park.

Gibbs says the most common question from Rhythm on the River attendees is “when the next concert will be held?” He is quick to say visitors are always impressed with the vast natural landscape in their own back yards.

People are often surprised by the size of CVNP when we say this is the 10th most visited national park, and it's 33,000 acres," Gibbs notes.

A myriad of talent
All summer long, a variety of music, drama, games, and other entertainment ensures each visit to the CVNP for Rhythm on the River is unique.

This Sunday is a Celebration of Jazz, with theatrical performances, jazz history exhibits, and live music.

Line dancing at Rhythm on the River

Karamu House, which is celebrating its own 110th anniversary, will join in the collaborative event, "Shine Like the Sun." Gibbs describes the event as “a trio of vignettes written by playwright Michael Oatman that explores the Black experience of music, arts, and resilience within the Cuyahoga Valley."
The vignettes are:

• “No Room at the Inn:” At Akron’s Matthews Hotel in 1937, a couple’s search for a hotel room becomes a soulful stand for dignity, featuring a moving performance of “Someone to Watch Over Me.”
• “Café Society:” In a Cleveland nightclub, the Café Tia Juana, past lovers and rising artists cross paths on the eve of a Count Basie concert, where art and memory collide.
• “A Place of Our Own:” At Lake Glen Country Club in the Cuyahoga Valley in 1959, painter Charles Sallee is invited to dream bigger in a world built by and for Black excellence.

"There used to be jazz clubs within the valley primarily tied to the Green Book," Gibbs explains "The Valley sort of served as a safe haven... Just to be able to picture yourself in that time and what it meant for folks to be able to have this space to recreate and to relax, and just have fun, is one of the highlights of uncovering some of these untold stories."

Then the music takes over with Open Tone Music taking the stage with youth-driven energy and talent that is committed to showcasing the next generation of jazz. The Theron Brown Sextet then hits the stage as the headliner, with a rich and vibrant jazz experience.

“June 8 will be packed,” says Gibbs, “but it's the best way to kick off the fifth Annual Rhythm on the River and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the park.”

Gibbs says the July 13 event will be a weekend of returning acts, with Carlos Jones and the P.L.U.S. Band and the Shaw High School Marching Band, which traveled to Hawaii in December to perform on Pearl Harbor Day, are both returning to Rhythm on the River.

Open Tone MusicOn Aug. 10, Blakk Jakk Dance Collective, a nonprofit offering dancers of color opportunities to improve their skills and build networks, will perform. Then, Nikki D and the Sisters of Thunder will offer their unique combination of blues and gospel.

“They're a family based group out of Toledo,” says Gibbs. “I'm really excited see and hear the steel guitar from them.”

The family-friendly atmosphere extends beyond the music. "You sort of have this moment of seeing Rhythm on the River growing into this intergenerational experience—and it's in the best place to have it," Gibbs says, noting that Howe Meadow offers an immersive experience, with the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad passing through and the wildlife symphony of Beaver Marsh nearby.

A dedicated kids' zone at all Rhythm on the River events allows families to fully enjoy the experience. "It's another way for families to just either drop their kids off at this zone or interact with them and play different games," Gibbs explains. He says activities range from a giant Connect 4 game to flag football—all supervised by park rangers and youth development leaders.

The success of Rhythm on the River is evident in its reception. "It's something I've really been proud of—to be a part of and create this with our team," Gibbs shares. "You see it when folks pull up and they're already smiling—and they just got there."