By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
Hubie Ashcraft and his band underscored their popularity in the Decatur area Thursday night on the Madison St. Plaza.
With a temperature crowding 90 degrees and a heat index reported to be 120, the Ashcraft band still drew a good-sized crowd to the plaza for the latest in the Decatur Chamber’s concert series.
It wasn’t the largest crowd of the season nor quite the size of the that which was on hand when Ashcraft opened the annual summer series back on June 1. Given the conditions, however, it was a rather remarkable turnout.
Nor did the band back off due to those conditions. They were as energetic as ever and rocked it hard for three hours with one small break. Both Ashcraft with his guitar and Travis Gow with his fiddle wandered into the crowd of dancers several times while playing.
At one time, they even had a guitar vs. fiddle competition in front of the crowd (photo).
One advantage for many of the folks who turned out was a big tent which the Chamber left up from Saturday’s Germanfest and provided an easy way to get out of the sun.
During the band’s lone break, Andrea Curtis, an 18-year-old Bellmont student, delighted the crowd with her singing.
The hot night was made memorable for Fort Wayne resident Ashcraft as he spent his last night in his age 30s in Decatur, turning 40 on Friday.