By Susan Shinn
sshinn@salisburypost.com
Now more than ever, a free event is just what the community needs.
The Salisbury Post is pleased to present the fifth-annual Pops at the Post concert featuring the Salisbury Symphony. This year’s edition is set for 8 p.m. Saturday, June 6, at the Post’s loading dock in the 100 block of North Church Street.
Lawn seating ó well, OK, parking lot seating ó is available at First Bank and in the Post parking lot. Tailgating is available on a first-come, first-served basis, beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday morning. The lots will close by 7 p.m.
Mayor Susan Kluttz has been a strong supporter of the concert from its inception.”It’s pretty cool you can go to something like this for free,” Kluttz says. “This is an outstanding event, and the fact you can go for free is incredible.”
A number of sponsors, led by presenting sponsors F&M Bank and Jim and Gerry Hurley, has once again made the event possible.
Gerry Hurley says that she and Jim are pleased to be presenting sponsors again this year.
“It’s unusual to find events that are as family-oriented as this,” Kluttz says.
Thanks to a varied amount of vendors, you can enjoy a reasonably priced meal with your family. Or you can bring a picnic basket along with your lawn chairs.
Not only is it a fun evening for families, Kluttz says, it’s a way to expose young children to the arts.
“The arts are such an important part of a person’s complete education,” Kluttz says. “The arts are not just for the elite. They’re for everybody.”
Focusing on Pops, Kluttz says, “We have an outstanding symphony. To be outside and enjoy our beautiful downtown is wonderful, and you don’t have to worry so much about children being quiet as you do in an indoor venue.”
Although this year’s theme, “Fantasy and Finance,” may be a bit tongue-in-cheek, Kluttz says, “There’s not a better value I know of. I also think it’s such a neat community partnership.
“We appreciate the fact that F&M and the Hurleys have been presenting sponsors for the past four years,” Kluttz says. “We want to say thank you to them, and thank you to the Post for its initial investment in the concert.”
Pops at the Post came about after the Salisbury Post celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2005.
Now, F&M continues that tradition. The bank is observing its 100th anniversary in 2009.
From the beginning, F&M has been a strong Pops supporter.
“It’s simple, it’s fun and most importantly in this economy, it’s free,” says Steve Fisher, F&M’s senior executive vice president and general counsel. “This is a great night out for your whole family at a minimal cost, and you have an excellent product in the Salisbury Symphony.”
Fisher acknowledges that 2009 is a big year for F&M.
“We wanted to celebrate and we wanted to do it in the communities we serve,” he says. “Marrying our celebration with Pops at the Post is just a natural fit. How else do you get that many people together for a celebration?”
Fisher says of the concert, “We’re just gonna soak up the night like everybody else. David Hagy does a wonderful job with the patriotic theme. We’ll have American flags for everyone there.”
Congratulations F&M, and enjoy the Pops evening!