The "Neighborhood Concert" Story

It was an ordinary day. I was out mowing my lawn on my Craftsman riding mower. Mower is fairly loud so sometimes I sing along to the beat of the mower noise. Sometimes I sing an oldie. Sometimes I sing Jimmy Buffett. Sometimes I sing opera. Sometimes I sing awful. I always sing loud, but I don’t think the neighbors can hear me. As I was rounding the bend out front it sounded as if there really was music in the background of my singing. I stopped and turned the mower down. I must be going crazy. You know, crazier than I really am. OK, keep on mowing Larry. After a few minutes I hear it as I head up the hill along the side of my house. This time the music is way off key to the song I’m singing. I know it's not me!! Turn the mower down. Still music......so I turn the mower off. Still there. That’s when I remembered that today is the day of the Fall Fest. The day of Country music in the park near my house. Country radio station WIOV-FM, who sponsors the free concert, moved it after 16 years from Longs Park near Park City to Overlook Park which is right next to me. I sort of like country music since Jimmy Buffett has close to the same genre of songs. I take a stroll to the top of the hill overlooking the park and see that they are setting up the sound system. Great view from where I am. The concert starts tomorrow at 2:00 PM and will run till dark. I will only get home tomorrow from a trip to the Chesapeake at 4:00 so I can hear some of the concert. Headlining the concert is Darryl Worley who had 3 number one hits, Little Big Town who is a quartet of two guys and two girls, Chris Young and Sarah Buxton. I really don’t know any of the performers, but my daughter, who loves country, knows the songs they sing. Saturday rolls around and Carol and I take our daily walk through the park early in the morning. They expect to have about 30 to 40 THOUSAND people today. Where do they all come from? Judging by the amount of port-a-potties they have, they can accommodate more than that. The place is starting to fill up already. Vendors are setting up with T-shirts, souvenirs and a vast array of food and drink. We head back home. Later in the day, after I return from my trip, I head to the top of the hill to see what's going on. It is certainly loud. I get to hear a few of the artists and the huge crowd was very well behaved. The only thing that I am disappointed about is they have closed my neighborhood to traffic. I could easily have parked 30 or more cars on my property at $10 a shot. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.