For a cultural change of pace, head to the coast and see the high-spirited Little Ole Opry at the Liberty Theatre, a well restored vaudeville house in North Bend. Styled on Nashville’s century-old Grand Ole Opry, the troupe offers two shows a year, in mid-summer and at Christmas, blending hayseed humor with old and new country music performed by community singers and dancers.

Founded in 1982, Little Ole Opry sizzles with energy, packing the stage with performers backed by a live combo as slick as Lyle Lovett’s Large Band. The cast is all ages, from the Opry’s Tiny Dancers (ages 7 and under) troupe to a gray-haired quartet from the local high school’s class of ’86. Toddlers occasionally delight the audience when they join their parents performing on stage. If you go, get seats early; shows are sometimes sold out. 

Heading north? Check out Newport Symphony Orchestra, the only year-round professional orchestra on the Oregon coast. Its concerts were often led by the late David Ogden Stiers, a musician as well as an actor who sometimes conducted when he wasn’t filming M*A*S*H.

On July 4, my family and I enjoyed an utterly moving free concert by NSO in a packed middle school gym. Their rendition of Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait, whose lyrics quote Abraham Lincoln’s warnings against abuse of political power, left most of the audience in tears, regardless of anyone’s politics. The regular season of five concerts kicks off at the Newport Performing Arts Center (777 W. Olive Street, Newport), Sept. 26 and 27 with a program of Claude Debussy, Robert Lowry, Jessie Montgomery and Igor Stravinsky.

The Little Ole Christmas Opry has four performances, including two matinees, Dec. 4 to 6. Tickets are $24 at Liberty Theatre, 2100 Sherman Avenue, North Bend. More info at TheLibertyTheatre.org. Newport Symphony Orchestra tickets are $46.25 to $72 at NewportSymphony.org.