Melissa Robbins of the United Way and the Pops at the Post board. Submitted photo

By Jason Walser 

2025 is a year of many firsts for Pops at the Post. 

It will be the first Pops conducted by our new conductor, Daniel Wiley. It will be the first concert provided entirely in Bell Tower Green. It will be the first concert with expanded tailgating. 

But 2025 will also be the first Pops at the Post in the past six years without Melissa Robbins quietly pulling strings behind the scenes to make this concert possible.

Unless you are on the board of Pops at the Post, you probably have no idea how many human hours go into making this concert happen. From executing contracts for stages to ensuring delivery of “port-a-potties” to securing the musicians to literally dozens of other duties and activities, Melissa’s fingerprints are on almost every aspect of this event. 

Melissa was the backbone behind the organization Pops at the Post (which is a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit from the symphony), serving as its treasurer for all these years and paying every bill and overseeing all financial accounting. 

And aside from the legal and organizational roles that she assumed in her service to Pops, Melissa was often the first to show up and the last to leave on the day of the event. This was not a job requirement in her work at Rowan County United Way, but a passion project that she did for you — a fellow citizen of Rowan County. She believed in this community and wanted to make it the best it could be. Her contributions to this event went above and beyond in every imaginable way.

Furthermore, Melissa enlisted the help of her family each and every year. Her husband Gregg was often the first to be seen setting up chairs in the morning (along with their children). They also were the last to leave late in the evening after the music stopped and all of the contractors were satisfactorily loaded up and ready to leave with their checks, which Melissa was holding in her organized portfolio.

Melissa died unexpectedly on Jan. 21 of this year, leaving a huge hole in the organization, and, more importantly, in the hearts of all those who had the privilege to work with her. Pops at the Post (as an event and as an organization) are as special as they are because of all that Melissa poured into them. This community will never be able to adequately thank Melissa’s family for all that they too have poured into this event, but we hope that you feel great pride knowing that this community knows that this year’s performance still has Melissa’s fingerprints, whispers and influence all over it.

Thank you for sharing her with us.