We went to the Urbana Sweetcorn Festival last night, our first time since we've been here. The festival is in downtown Urbana, and it features food and music. There may have been other vendors as well, we didn't see the entire festival. And the sweet corn looked pretty darn tasty!
We went to see the Tons of Fun Band. We had never heard of them before, but Larry kept telling us how good they were. They definitely lived up to their name. They play a lot of funk and R&B, and they even have a real live horn section. It was really fun watching them, and watching the crowd. When they introduced the band at the end, they mentioned that their trumpet player was leaving and moving to Bermuda. Turns out it was Sam Hankins, the much loved jazz band director at Edison Middle School. The jazz band has won many awards during his tenure, and even won a competition at a high school level. He's also played with the Glen Miller Band, the Ojays, and Aretha Franklin, among others. His departure will create a huge musical hole in this community. I feel lucky to have witnessed one of his last local performances.
Tonight it's back to the Sweetcorn Fest to see The Living Blue, a local alternative rock group. That should be pretty fun, and I'm definitely going to have some of that sweet corn!
Saturday, August 26, 2006
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1 comment:
Tons O Fun were really great! The corn was yummy too - & what a great night to be out! Thanks for Driving!
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