CFTC-McPherson

     Then on Saturday it was time for Concerts For The Cause Back to School Street Dance. If you missed this show, you missed a heck of a good time!

     Jeremy Hanna kicked off the evenings festivities from The Little Red Wagon stage. I believe that Hanna has become one of my new favorite performers. I just love to hear him play. Brian Hopp of Hopps Sno Shack found a real gem when he hired Hanna to play these CFTC events. This guy is good! Hanna plays acoustic guitar and he's spot on with his tunes, even playing outside in the heat and humidity, he does an outstanding job. He got the crowd all warmed up and ready for the headliner, Hell Creek Bridge.

     The McPherson Fire Department had their ladder truck out with a giant American flag hanging over the street stage as well as a fire truck pulled up blocking the street as a back drop for the stage. Little did anyone in the crowd know that as it got dark the light from the firetruck became the stage lights. There were regular flood lights and the red and blue truck lights. What a nifty idea!

     A chilly night for a dunk tank, but there were quite a few takers willing to be tossed into icy cold water for charity. Thank you to the brave souls who volunteered to be dunked. Across the way was a bounce house all decked out in Dalmation dog spots. There was no end to the line of children wanting to jump around in the bounce house or slide down the bounce house slide. For those to small for either the dunk tank or the bounce house, there was face painting.

     The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts had tables set up to give out information regarding their programs and they even ended up connecting with one another and making possible plans for activities together.

     Freddy's Frozen Custard was selling dishes of custard, of course there were sno cones from Hopps Sno Shack, and The Humane Society was selling popcorn and water. Craft Coffee was there if you were needing a warmer alternative. As always, the sno cone line was never ending. The girls working the sno shack were still wearing smiles when I stepped up for my sno cone at 10 pm. I was impressed that they could be that overwhelmed with a never ending line for three hours and when I stepped up there they still looked fresh and were still nice as could be.

     The Bug Lady from Wichita was there to put bugs on people, if they wanted to try them out on a test run. I had to laugh when at one point, The Bug Lady stepped away from her booth to talk to the Humane Society and when she turned around to go back to her booth, the massive crowd had sealed her way back. She held up the bug she was carrying over her head and yelled into the crowd, "Bugs coming through, no need to be alarmed they won't bite." The crowd parted like the Red Sea. After dark, she brought out the tarantula and put it on a couple of folks who had requested it. There was a lot of shivering and surpressed screams.

     At 8 pm, Hell Creek Bridge took to the street to play for a couple of hours. As it began to get dark the crowd also took to the street as young and old alike danced as if no one was watching. The drummer from Hell Creek Bridge played earlier in the season. Tonight the crowd got to see the rest of the band. They were incredible. They played a variety of country tunes but a few rock tunes made it into the mix, too. Very polished and professional would be accurate words to describe this group. Hell Creek Bridge is one to watch as they are going places. It was impossible to sit still while they played. Toes were tapping, feet were dancing, hands were clapping. It was a great time!

     This was a benefit for the McPherson Fire Department's Fill The Boot for MDA campaign and it also benefited The Humane Society whose event was rained out earlier in the season.