Summer Breezin’ blows in big weekend

This may be the biggest weekend of activities this summer since the Peony weekend on June 1 and Holiday at Home on July 4, which actually fell in the middle of the week. Starting this Friday night, the Fountain Park Summer Music presents the perfect summer concert: Summer Breezin’.  

This band is a celebration of the music, life, and times of two of the most dominant soft rock bands of their day — Seals & Crofts and America. This show is performed by the multi-talented cast of “The Tribute Company” who flawlessly perform the tight instrumentals and beautiful harmonies required to faithfully reproduce the music of these two great bands.

In this show you will hear hit songs like “Summer Breeze”, “We May Never Pass This Way Again”, “Diamond Girl”, “Horse with No Name”, “I Need You”, and “Tin Man”. You will truly enjoy this wonderful music, but the show isn’t only about the music — it’s also about the memories.

The audience is treated to a short biography of each band, along with some interesting facts on what inspired them to write these great songs. The show also reminisces about life in America when these bands were dominating the charts.

Summer Breezin’ will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will take you back in time, and, for some, it will remind you of what you were doing when this great music first hit the charts. Summer Breezin’ will entertain you from the first note to the last, and you will be humming these songs to yourself long after the show is over.​  

If you are like me, this music shaped your popular musical tastes during those years of your youth.

I swear, when I listen to Summer Breezin’, although they are a tribute band, they sound just like I recall. America, the band, is still touring. As a matter of fact, we had the real America at the Niswonger a few years ago. Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley are two of the three still touring as America. Unfortunately, Dan Peek, the third member passed away in 2011, but had left the band long before.  The hit songs America turned out in the 1970s are many. Once again, their music was so good that we still hear it played today literally everywhere.

Seals & Croft is another leading band of the Soft-Rock era of the 1970s. Dan Seals passed away in 2009 from a form of cancer, but Croft is still living.  However, the duo of such beautiful harmonic ballads was never more to be. “Summer Breeze” is one of Seals & Croft’s biggest hits, thus the name of this tribute band we will have Friday night in Fountain Park (now moved to the Niswonger Performing Arts Center of Northwest Ohio). The enjoyable thing about Friday’s concert is that you will probably recognize every song. Between Seals & Croft and America, there are tons of hits to sing and enjoy listening to.

The music begins at 7 p.m. at the NPAC (no food will be served).  

The following day brings lots of community events. This Saturday includes the official opening of Franklin Park.  

The Van Wert County Foundation, Scott Niswonger, and Van Wert city officials will be on hand for a 10 a.m. ribboncutting ceremony and then at noon, activities are planned for the general public to enjoy. I don’t know about you, but it seems that this new city park is always bursting with activity from children. These are kids who may have spent the summer indoors playing video games otherwise. This is a very positive project spearheaded by The Foundation and Scott Niswonger!

There is a very interesting memorial service planned at Woodland Cemetery in Van Wert at 11 a.m. James L. Coe was a veteran of the War of 1812 and is buried in Van Wert’s Woodland Cemetery. Just recently, the Veterans Service Commission realized his site had no tombstone of recognition. A full re-enacted military memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. this Saturday to honor this Van Wert citizen who lived to the ripe age of 109!  I am sure the public is invited to observe this well-deserved ceremony.

Later in the day, Town Creek Live! takes center stage at the Wassenberg Art Center and along Central Avenue. There will be all kinds of activities, fun, food, and music. If you haven’t seen the back of Wassenberg Art Center lately, you will be amazed!  They have transformed that roughly paved parking lot into an artistic wonderland. Now, let’s just hope that Mother Nature cooperates for this busy weekend of wonderful activities in Van Wert, Ohio!

FINÉ.