Peabody Main Street board member
A group of about 100 people gathered on a recent beautiful fall Sunday evening at Santa Fe Park to enjoy a community dinner and musical concert by the “Medicine River Boys.”
The occasion was the kickoff event of “Sleepy Creek Concert Series,” a collaborative effort of PMSA and the newly-formed Partners of Peabody Parks (POPPs).
The opening event dinner was prepared and served by members of the POPPs group. Chuckwagon fare, calico tablecloths, and native floral centerpieces were provided to the hungry crowd who paid “by donation” to enjoy the first of a string of musical events aimed at bringing the arts to Peabody. Proceeds from the events will fund improvements to local parks.
The music was reminiscent of old radio and early television days. The “Medicine River Boys” presented a program of cowboy, trail, and early country songs, many were familiar and some were new to the audience. The band featured a variety of acoustic instruments and great vocal harmonies with a few well-placed jokes.
Our own Shane Marler, sat in on a number with the group to the delight of the audience. As the sun sank lower and had nearly disappeared, the audience still wanted “just one more song.” Many positive comments were heard as people gathered their belongs and headed home.
In the short-term, proceeds will pay for plants, maintenance, mulch, and supplies. Plans are in progress for a memorial at Santa Fe Park to recognize the recent generous landscaping donation by Ruth Orpin in memory of her parents, Ross and Margaret Mathias. The Mathiases were longtime residents of Peabody. For years Ross and Margaret owned and operated a grocery store in the location that is now Peabody Market.
A long-term goal of the PMSA/POPPs collaboration is to have public bathrooms located at Santa Fe Park. Many events take place in historic downtown and currently the community must resort to rent portable toilets to accommodate the public. Often businesses are open and willing to oblige visitors, equally often are not. Providing this additional downtown service at no cost to taxpayers, business owners, or the city is a goal of organizers of the concert series.
“Sleepy Creek Concert Series” will feature a variety of live entertainment. Plus, we intend for the concerts to be accompanied by an offering of food that will vary from a full meal to a dessert bar, a chocolate holiday, the “mother of all salad bars,” and other culinary delights.
If you missed the first one, plan to be with us for the next concert Oct. 26 at Santa Fe Park. Nouveau Quintet will provide swing-style music of Paris in the days before World War II erupted and sent the planet reeling.