Warm Summer Nights close with a bang

Walter Sprague
Art and Culture Reporter
 
The third concert in the second annual Warm Summer Nights series closed with a bang—literally! A severe thunderstorm rolled through Newcastle on Friday, Aug. 23. Severe storm warnings first issued at 3:30 p.m. and extended till 10 p.m. threatened the event. The clouds built up over the next few hours, but the actual storm did not interfere until the very end of the concert.
About 200 people lined South Sumner Avenue along the First State Bank of Newcastle parking lot to enjoy Nate Smith and the Caddywhompus Band. The band played from 6:20 p.m. until about 8:30 p.m. The public
participated in food, ice cream, popcorn and cotton candy. Lemonade, soda and bottled water were also available. With open containers allowed inside the blocked-off sections of West Main Street and South Sumner Avenue, there was also plenty of beer. 
Children and adults took turns playing a cornhole game. Couples and children danced at the foot of the stage. Overall, the audience appeared to have a great time listening to good old country music, joking and laughing with one another and making new acquaintances, as well as spending time with old friends. Several people from the band and the Weston County Arts Council were busy from 2:30 p.m., setting up the stage, tents and equipment. Everything went smoothly. The volunteers for this event should take pride in a job well done. 
Yasmin Frank, owner of the Short Stop on U.S. Highway 16, provided a rice/bean bowl with a Peruvian spice pallet. During intermission, the arts council drew the winners of the raffles. The raffles were for a rifle (winner gets to choose from several models) and a custom knife/hatchet set. Barbie Steber won the gun, and Jake Orban was the winner of the knife/hatchet set. 
Nate Smith and the Caddywhompus Band were thoroughly enjoyable, and many of the songs they played were familiar enough that people sang along with them. But they also played a couple of their compositions. Their piece “Sedona” had a rather introspective flavor and a melancholy tone. 
While Mother Nature decided to hold off for most of the concert, she got impatient toward the end. It first started with lightning to the west of Newcastle and slowly rolled in. Smith must have decided that he was brave enough to weather the storm, and the band kept playing. Very few in the audience left. But Mother Nature is a heartless wench in the long run, and she finally started dumping rain – and eventually hail – across town. The band still played on after the rain started, but it soon became clear they had to pack up and call it a night. There was some concern for the equipment, especially because it was almost all electronic. 
According to Tom Voss, members of the audience came to the rescue.