By Vicki Scott
Outdoor concerts bring sweet memories in the Scott household.
Last Saturday, the whole Scott crew met in Wetumpka for the River and Blues Festival. We brought our own chairs from all the softball games we enjoyed watching sweet Ava Jaymes, our oldest granddaughter, play in. We parked close to the area where the television series Hometown Takeover was filmed. The music radiated off the river as we strolled through the park leading to the festival.
As we walked, I reminisced how my husband Alan won my heart after taking me to my first outdoor concert during our long courtship of three months. Waylon Jennings and his wife Jessi Colter played on the back of a flat-bed trailer. I was star-struck! It was the beginning of a long life of outdoor events, and 35 years later, we still try to attend every outdoor concert we can find.
At the Wetumpka festival, Alan and I got there first. When the first band finished, our son Joseph and his family arrived. Joseph came right after getting off work, and he forgot to bring his lawn chairs. We had an extra chair, but Alan went back to our vehicle and retrieved a towel and a crate that we just happened to have loaded up. Ava brought Uno cards to play.
Our daughter Eva and her family arrived about an hour after she texted that they were on their way. She lives about 20 minutes from Wetumpka. She remembered to bring chairs and a cooler full of assorted drinks. Our four grandchildren played Uno and drank juice. I was so proud of them, because I taught them how to play. Ava and Saylor Rhea are playing well, and Tyler Kate is getting the hang of it. The youngest, Addison Victoria, passed out her cards to all the adults. She thought she won, so she got rid of her cards.
We found out how prepared Joseph’s wife Machi was a little later on. Someone went to the food trucks and brought back chocolate ice cream. Chocolate was everywhere until Machi pulled out the baby wipes. Not only were the grands cleaned, but they also smelled good!
Both our children are very familiar with outdoor concerts after attending them with us as they grew up, and I believe they enjoy them as much as we do. Not only do we love the music, but we love to people-watch. We saw a wide variety of people, and some were dancing. Our children thought I might get up and dance too, but I did not, not at first.
One lady walked right in front of us dancing with a perfect Jamaican swag. I loved it. Toward the end of the festival, all four of our grandchildren were dancing, and my heart fluttered. They are not yet at the age yet where I embarrass them, so they want their Nana to do all the things they enjoy. Because of them, I might have danced a little bit!
After enjoying the energy of the grands, people watching and good music, we loaded our things and headed back through the park in the dark to find our cars. Eva and her crew walked with us since they parked close to where we were parked, and she pointed out where some of the remodeling took place by Hometown Takeover. We checked it out and then started home.
What a night! I praise God for the memories – past, present and future. Stay safe, y’all!
Vicki Scott can be contacted at lily200383@yahoo.com.