Contributed by Brian Kelley
Brian Kelley was among the organizers of the recent Milton Music Fest & Fireworks. He has produced a video of the event which can be found here. Following is his account of some of the challenges and satisfaction in helping put on the event.
A couple of weeks age over 3000 people gathered on Gov. Hutchinson Field over looking the Boston Skyline and the Neponset river to celebrate community.
We Are Milton (WAM), the organization that produced the event, was thrilled when their idea received a warm reception from the Copeland Family Foundation. The foundation not only liked the idea but requested to be the sole sponsor. WAM had just started planning when the Boston marathon bombing took place. We were stunned and some of the wind was taken from our sails. Should we have the event? Would the people be afraid to go to a large public gathering? In the end the committee decided to move forward with our plans.
Another roadblock, we planned for Friday night June 7th. However, someone invited Tropical storm Andrea to the party and the event was moved to Sunday June 9th. Everything was in place and yes, the people came. We moved the timeline up one hour because it was a school night. The show started and 30 minutes in, our generator powering a giant sound stage broke a fan belt! Really? At least fireworks don’t need the generator to run I said to fellow committee member Lynda-Lee Sheridan.
As we scrambled to find a replacement generator, low and behold, the community of Milton that had gathered on the green continued to enjoy the beautiful evening chatting with neighbors and making new friends. Some of the Milton High Jazz band and Alums pulled out their horns and improvised a bit while we waited for new power to arrive. An ice cream truck was pulled onto the field and free cones for everyone was a big hit.
An hour off schedule the show went on with reduced play time for all the musical groups. Before the the event ended a special tribute for the Boston Marathon victims and the runners was performed that brought everything back into focus: why we were there and how important community is.
In spite of the challenges we faced making this event happen it was nothing compared to the challenges faced everyday by those innocent victims of crime. I Will Run Again! performed by composer and poet Kathy Ready and the Milton Pierce Middle School Treble Chorus, hushed the crowd and reminded us to be thankful for our community and family! That is why we wanted the event in the first place. Yes We Will Run again! Hope to see you next year!