July 26, 2016
Riverfront Pops Concert
By Mary Schricker Gemberling
“I find it inspiring to actively choose which traditions to celebrate and also come up with new ideas for traditions of my own.”
– Sara Sheridan
I love tradition, and I love change! My life is a kaleidoscope of both the old and the new. I enjoy visiting places I have never been, attending original events, and meeting new and interesting people. I am also quite comforted by visits with old friends, repetitive travel to much loved places, and attending favorite yearly events. One such event I try not to miss (no matter what else is on the calendar) is the Riverfront Pops Concert held each year at Davenport’s LeClaire Park on the banks of the Mississippi River.
Thousands of people toting coolers, picnic baskets, and lawn chairs crowd onto the green space to enjoy music under the stars and the comradery of friends. Many arrive early to cordon off an area for their parties. Colorful balloons fly in the breeze as markers for those meandering through the crowd looking for their group. Some enjoy a simple picnic, while others feast on extravagant food and wine displayed on candlelit tables. On the river, hundreds of boaters drop anchor to enjoy the spectacle from afar.
Since the first concert in 1983, featuring Moline native and internationally acclaimed jazz drummer Louis Bellson, the Quad-City Symphony Orchestra has entertained tens of thousands of music lovers. The music has run the gamut, from classical symphony, to songs from the stage and theatre, rock n roll, pop, and even country. Guest artists have featured the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Judy Garland, the Beatles, Elton John, Michael Jackson and many more. Other highlights have included music from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Jesus Christ Superstar”, Bernstein’s “West Side Story”, and Meredith Wilson’s “Music Man.”
Although usually held in September, the 2016 Symphony Riverfront Pops has been moved to Saturday, August 20th so that it does not conflict with the Iowa/Iowa State football game scheduled for the evening of September 10th. The theme for this year’s pops concert is The Eagles Greatest Hits! Organizers describe it as a spectacular, live symphonic rock hybrid packed with classic Eagles favorites like “Take it to the Limit,” “Desperado,” and “Hotel California”!
No two years at the Pops have been the same. I have not always gone with the same group of people, or taken the same exact food and beverage. Sometimes I sit under a shade tree, or close to the river. I have been far, far back in the crowd and in more recent years up front in the chairs close to the bandstand. Despite all of these differences, the one thing that remains the same every year is the feeling I get when the orchestra plays “Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture” and “Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever” set to a brilliant fireworks display. Somehow, at that moment, all is right with the world!
Mary, a former educator and Seniors Real Estate Specialist, is the author of three books, Hotel Blackhawk; A Century of Elegance, The West End Kid, and Labor of Love; My Personal Journey through the World of Caregiving, available at amazon.com.
