People love to celebrate things. It is one of the most American traditions that we hold dear. Americans have been celebrating themselves and the ideals that they embrace since America was established.
Great things remain. Great things always will. That is what makes them great. They are great because they are strong and good and right. People can find part of what those celebrations embody in each one of us.
Carl and I helped pass on a little of what makes America great last Friday in the friendly city of Centerline, as we did our salute to the great classic country songs that helped build the modern age of popular music.
We opened the day of music on the big stage-in-the-park at 1:00, to a small but delighted audience of country music lovers.
The hospitality of Centerline seemingly knows no bounds, as the staff and even the mayor himself take personal control of the welcoming atmosphere, as soon as you arrive.
They put on a first-class event, that is growing by leaps and bounds since it’s inception. All designed to showcase the friendly-fun setting that can be enjoyed 365 days a year, not just on a perfect summer day.
The show began right on time, or even a bit early; as Carl and I dressed as a cowboy and a “Dandy”, couldn’t wait to start the show and the day for that matter.
We were only doing two hours, so we had to get all of those great country hits out as quick as we possibly could.
We played, Hank, and Glenn and Willy. We played The Eagles, The Outlaws and Bocephus. We did new, we did old and we did classic country to the delight of the gathering crowd. They tapped their feet wiggled and sang along; so we know that they were enjoying it.
After we finished, there was square dancing. Talk about people that enjoyed what they were doing! Aleman, left, aleman right. Salute your corner, parade your partner. Stay out of the goo!
The goo?
Well, maybe someday we’ll find out what that really means.
As soon as they finished, it was time for the mayor and staff to shoot a few T-Shirts into the crowd before the next band hit the stage.
Up next: the Cadillac Cowboys; a local Michigan country tradition for years now. They played all the dancing favorites that the crowd seemed to thrive on, as we loaded our gear into the van and headed out to Bumper’s to continue the fun day of music.
Centerline is one of these shows that you circle on the calendar and truly look forward to before summer even arrives.
We sure hope to be included in the line-up next year. Maybe it won’t be country music; but that’s ok. We can play ’em all!
Rb
