Hello. The long weekend is over and Saturday in the Park is behind us. This is always a milestone during the summer for my family and I. We are not only involved with the Festival, we have been spectators at all 18 of them. Our kids went with us when they were young, now our grandbabies are enjoying Saturday in the Park. I guess you could say it's a family tradition.

The bands were great as usual. I have been a fan of the BoDeans for many years, so getting to finally see them was a real treat. They played a couple of my favorite songs to make the night even more enjoyable. The large tie-dyed crowd went wild when former Grateful Dead bassist, Phil Lesh and Friends took the stage. A young player by the name of Jackie Greene stole the show with great vocals and a killer display of talent on both the guitar and the keyboards.

The event has become a home-coming of sorts for Sioux Town. Every year I get a chance to party with friends I haven't seen in a while. In fact, it seems that SITP is the only time I get to party with some of these friends. It's cool. In talking with folks over the years, I know this is true for many of the locals. It is so much more than a music festival. Every year for a few brief hours, this struggling, cow town pulls up it's tattered blue jeans, puffs up it's chest and says, "We're alright, look what we can do!".

There is no place I'd rather be on Fourth of July Saturday each year.