We’ve been living in Helena for almost two months now. Our apartment is mostly settled and ready for a baby boy any time now. We’ve started taking the steps toward integrating ourselves into the community of Helena. One of those steps was partaking in one of the largest events the city holds each year, Symphony Under the Stars. This year, 17,000+ people attended the performance; a tribute to Aretha Franklin with the Helena Symphony, aided by a gospel chorale, rock band, back-up singers with vocalists Capathia Jenkins and Ryan Shaw.
Krista came up for the weekend, and having gone to this event before, helped pick out a spot on the lawn the day before. We arrived early, set up our “camp” and checked out the local vendors. It was a beautiful evening to be outside. The concert started around 8:30pm as the sun lazily drifted toward the mountains that flank the city to the west. The whole event was wonderful! The music was great, the view was spectacular and the people watching was perfect.
Helena is a bit of a socioeconomic melting pot. While there’s not a ton of ethnic diversity, there is a fair bit of diversity of lifestyle. Even though people may have vast differences, they all sat through and enjoyed and wonderful tribute to the Queen of Soul. I sure enjoyed running around with my camera, taking pictures of not only the concert, but the crowd that gathered. Men and women, kids, grandparents, were all either running around, trying to catch up with friends, enjoying the music or just the time with friends and loved ones.
As the concert ended, a spectacular grand finale was set off. Fireworks blazed in the sky
So here’s to a new tradition and a new community to do it with!
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