By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
They came … and they came … and they came … and still they came!
A huge crowd turned out in Decatur Monday evening for a performance by the Fort Wayne Philharmonic.
To celebrate its 100th birthday, Adams Memorial Hospital, with an assist from the Adams County Community Foundation, sponsored the Philharmonic performance.
The event was scheduled for the Madison St. Plaza, but earlier Monday, concerned about the possibility of rain, Philharmonic officials had the show shifted to Bellmont High School and its Erekson Theater.
The last-minute switch – and getting the word out! – certainly had no effect on the turnout. The event was due to start at 6 p.m., and the large, open area just inside the Bellmont front doors quickly filled with people enjoying the free hot dogs and root beer floats. Hospital officials were soon bringing out more tables and chairs. And still came! Well over an hour later, the long line of people waiting for a hot dog stretched to outside the building.
Included among the crowd was a contingent of Woodcrest residents brought in two trips by Lynn Fruchte, Independent Living Life Enrichment Coordinator.
The wait was worth it. The 55 or so musicians in the orchestra brought forth a Patriotic Pops effort that sparked numerous enthusiastic cheers from a packed theater.
And nothing was more popular than when the Philharmonic director asked the audience to join in by singing several well-known patriotic songs.
The 70-minute performance ended with a rousing rendition of John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever.”
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