Pull up a chair ...
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Kurt Johnson
It’s a perfect recipe for genuine hometown fun.
Debuting with its much-anticipated opening night Friday, Bands on the Bricks returns for a fifth year in 2022, drawing a crowd that has fully embraced Sara Sutherland’s concept of a feel-good night of music, family, friends and fun.
Though it’s hard to get an exact count, the bandstand area in front of the historic courthouse was filled with close to 400 people Friday, ranging in age from tiny babies asleep in their strollers to 80-somethings and everything in between. It’s a safe bet that you’ll see similar crowds each and every Friday evening throughout the six-week summer series, as this has clearly become an event circled at home on what are often busy to-do list calendars.
So what makes Bands on the Bricks such a feel-good gig? It’s all about community, according to Sutherland, president of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce. And, of course, she’s right.
The Devon Worley Band band was terrific on opening night, despite its late arrival due to vehicle problems en route to Aurora. That could have been a major buzz kill for a large crowd on hand to kick off this year’s summer series. Instead, people were just happy to be there, enjoying the vibe and each other’s company, so a one-hour delay was no big deal.
It was in a sense a perfect storm of weather and timing to draw people out for the evening. An inch of rain the previous day lightened everyone’s mood, especially local farmers, and temps in the 80s with a cooling breeze were a welcome relief from the hot summer sun. There is a brief break now in youth activities and school is still more than a month away, so it’s the perfect window of opportunity for the community to take a deep breath and relax.
If you haven’t yet experienced Bands on the Bricks, grab your lawn chair and join the crowd on the square, where the combination of good music and family-friendly fun just makes you glad to be in Aurora.
Kurt Johnson
