The high temperature on Friday, July 11 in Escalon came in at 103 degrees … and it hadn’t cooled off much by showtime.
But members of the Oakdale-based country-rock band Valley Fire didn’t let that bother them – and neither did concert goers – as a large crowd settled in to enjoy the music in the city’s Main Street Park.
It was the second of three planned Concert in the Park performances this summer, being put on through Gather Around Main and in cooperation with resident Don Bionaz, who has committed to providing free ice cream for all three shows.
The first concert in June played out under cloudy skies, with a brisk wind and chilly temperatures. This time, with the century mark being hit, the line for ice cream was just a bit longer.
“I like it,” longtime Escalon resident Kerry Schulz said of settling in for the concert. “It was a while ago that they used to have this in Copperopolis and we went to quite a few of those shows.”
He was attending the Valley Fire concert with his wife and daughter, enjoying sandwiches from MarVal and looking forward to the evening.
“We’ll get some ice cream and enjoy the music,” he said.
Nicole Davis, with her daughters eating pizza as they settled in on a blanket in the park, said lead singer Ryan Harris of Valley Fire is her cousin, so she was looking forward to seeing Harris and the band take the stage.
“I think it’s great,” she said of the chance to take in the free show, adding that she and her daughters had previously attended a Movie in the Park night and enjoyed that as well.
Elsewhere in the park, Tina Lucas was getting comfortable in her lawn chair while the band was doing a final sound check.
“People can come out, see people they haven’t seen in a while and hang out with the kids,” she said, with listening to the music an added bonus.
Near the historic caboose in Main Street Park, local resident Leonard Smith had set up a portable barbecue and was grilling up some teriyaki chicken, as he and other family members brought their own food to enjoy for the evening.
Despite the heat – and a couple of trains that passed through during some songs – the Valley Fire performance was met with applause and plenty of cheers, many people even stepping up to the area in front of the stage to dance along to the music.
The final concert in the series is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 8; the band is still to be determined, hours will be 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Gather Around Main was also able to secure some discretionary funds from San Joaquin County District 5 Supervisor Robert Rickman to assist with putting on the shows.
