Pops-at-the Post, featuring the Salisbury-Rowan Symphony, is an annual outdoor concert at sundown ~ A completely free community event!
Where: The Salisbury Post loading dock, 131 W. Innes
Street, Salisbury, NC. View
Map
When: Pops-at-the-Post is hosted annually at 8 p.m. the
first Saturday of June.
What makes Rowan County, North Carolina special? Many fun
events and festivals allow visitors to experience the community throughout the
year. From "Friday Night Out", "Brick Street Live concert series", "Art on Easy Street",
Faith's "Fourth of July Festival," "October Tour", "Rowan Jazz & Blues Festival", "Pops-at-the-Post,"
and more, the festivals of Rowan County
bring visitors from near and far. Festivals in Rowan County have become
synonymous with the celebration of the arts, entertainment, history, community,
and family.
A festival that has become tradition in Rowan County is
"Pops-at-the-Post." In the heart of Salisbury, NC, nearly 4,000 people come annually to the parking lots
behind The Salisbury Post Loading Dock in Downtown Salisbury. At sunset, the Salisbury-Rowan Symphony Orchestra, with conductor David Hagy, provide a free concert
to the community. Food vendors offer barbeque, Cheerwine, pizza, and ice cream.
Many families and neighborhood groups tailgate in the parking lots, spending
quality time together. Some concertgoers
go all-out, bringing tables clothed in fine linens, candelabras, vases of
flowers, and arrays of appetizers. Others bring their camp chairs or picnic blanket and take advantage of the food and drink provided by vendors. Concert attendees get a handheld fan
with the program printed on the back at the Salisbury Symphony’s tent in the
First Bank parking lot. Free Cheerwine will be offered again this
year! Look for the Cheerwine trailer in the front corner of the First Bank
parking lot.
Pops-at-the-Post is a completely free annual community
event, featuring a performance by the Salisbury-Rowan Symphony. Pops-at-the-Post is typically a two-hour
concert, with a 15-minute intermission, and two planned encores.
The Salisbury-Rowan Symphony hosted the first Pops-at-the-Post
in 2005 as part of the Salisbury Post's centennial celebrations at the
Salisbury Post loading dock near the intersection of Church Street and W. Innes
Street in downtown Salisbury, North Carolina. So many people came out to see this special performance
of the Salisbury Symphony that Pops-at-the Post has turned into an annual
community event. Generous sponsors and donors have contributed to keep Pops-at-the-Post a completely free community event. Festivities go on all day,
with a pre-concert warm-up from 5 to 7 p.m. by the Salisbury Swing Band.
So again, this Saturday, The Salisbury Post will host the
annual Pops-at-the-Post outdoor symphony concert showcasing The Salisbury
Symphony. With the weather forecast showing temperatures in the mid-80s by
concert time and no rain in sight, Maestro David Hagy will raise the baton for
the sunset concert —
approximately 8PM on Saturday June 2nd, 2012.
The program features a mix of traditional patriotic music
as well as contemporary favorites, and takes place outside of the loading dock
of the Salisbury Post. Several thousand area residents enjoy the concert
each year, held the first Saturday evening in June. This year’s program
includes: “Star-Spangled Banner” John Stafford Smith; “1712” Overture
P.D.Q. Bach (Peter Schikele); “Saints” anonymous, W.C. Handy, arranged by Bruce
Healey; “Selections From Huck Finn” Billy Burke.
Also “My Heart Will Go On” from Titantic James Horner;
“Midway March” from Midway John Williams; “Beach Boys Medley Brian Wilson &
Mike Love,arranged by Calvin Cluster; “Music From To Kill A Mockingbird”
Elmer Bernstein
“You Can’t Stop The Beat” from Hairspray Marc Shaiman;
“Olympic Fanfare And Theme” John Williams; “Lean On Me” & “We Shall
Overcome”, Bil Withers and Charles Tindley; “1812” Overture Peter Tchaikovsky;
“The Salisbury Post March” John Philip Sousa; and “Stars and Stripes
Forever” March John Philip Sousa.
Hagy remembers walking from the Post, Salisbury NC's local newspaper publisher, to the Wrenn House
to see where an orchestra might be able to set up for an outdoor concert. As
the group chatted as they walked out the door through the loading dock, Hagy
noticed the sound echoing back. “Wait a minute”, he thought, “The acoustics are
amazing!”
In that moment, the unlikely idea of a concert on a
loading dock was born. The loading dock venue has better acoustics than even
Tanglewood,and is perfect for the orchestra. The three-foot awning
on the front and sides bounces the music from the front of the orchestra to the
back. The brass can hear the strings, and that’s so unusual. This was an incredible find!
Pops-a-the-Post was honored earlier this year with an award from the N.C. Main Street Program that awards organizations recognized for excellence in downtown revitalization
efforts in categories such as promotion, organization, design and
economic restructuring. Pops-at-the-Post received the award for Best Downtown Special Event. The successful Main Street program has proven that revitalizing our
downtown areas can help grow local small businesses, attract new
investments and create jobs.
Ample parking for the Pops-at-the-Post event is available throughout the Downtown Salisbury area. Vendors
will set up along Fisher Street this year by 4 p.m. There is limited handicapped parking in the Post
courtyard. A drop-off area is also available at the First Bank lot. Drivers may
enter the lot from Innes Street and exit to the right onto Jackson Street.
There are 400 reserved seats available for event
sponsors, symphony season ticket holders ,and disabled concert-goers. Any remaining reserved seats become open to the public on a first-come-first-serve basis after 7 p.m.
Tailgate parking opens at 1 p.m. on a first-come,
first-served basis in the Post employee and First Bank parking lots. The lots close by 7 p.m. or as soon as they are full. You can reserve a tailgating
spot so you don’t have to park so early with a $50 donation to Pops-at-the-Post.
To reserve a spot, contact Phillip
Winters at the Post, 704-797-4205, or pwinters@salisburypost.com.
Overwhelmingly positive community reaction to the
first concert, which celebrated the Salisbury Post’s 100th anniversary, turned the potential for Pops-at-the-Post to become an annual event
to a reality. Now, Pops-at-the-Post is a 501(c)(3) organization, which allows
for tax-deductible donations.
Want to donate? Supporters can donate to the event online
through the Pops-at-the-Post Causes page on Facebook. Or mail donations to: Pops-at-the-Post,
P.O. Box 4639, Salisbury, NC 28145
For more information:
The annual Pops-at-the-Post outdoor symphony concert at dusk
is just one more reason to make Salisbury, North Carolina your home. With its incredible selection of historic
homes, and vibrant downtown, and its array of community events, Salisbury is
the place to be!
So here is your weekend itinerary for June 1-3rd:
 |
| 317 S. Shaver Street c. 1900 - $89,900 |
Friday: Contact Greg Rapp (704.213.6846) for information
on homes for sale in Salisbury
Saturday: Attend the Pops-at-the-Post concert
Sunday: Visit the homes of your choice with Realtor Greg Rapp.
It’ll be a weekend you won’t regret! You can make Salisbury NC your home!
Greg Rapp ~ Wallace Realty ~ 704.213.6846
Greg Rapp ~ Wallace Realty ~ 704.213.6846
