Pops in the Park

Terry and Ellen get all the credit for introducing me to this fabulous event. If you grew up in Clemmons, your family probably attended "Music at Sunset" during the summers at Tanglewood. Our family went with tons of others every summer growing up. I remember eating yummy food, getting sprayed with smelly bug spray, running around with glow sticks, throwing the softball with our dads, laying on the blankets watching fireworks and hearing the symphony in the background. "Pops in the Park" is the Charlotte version and just as much fun.

The final Pops was held on July 3rd and I think everyone in Charlotte decided to attend. Mike and I were tasked with "reserving" our spots on the lawn Thursday morning. We loaded the blankets in the car and headed to SouthPark Thursday morning. As we turned the corner and saw all the blankets already laid out, I started to panic. (please remember this was at 8am) After Mike talked me off the ledge, we found the 2nd to last patch of grass to laid our blankets on. It ended being a great spot that we all enjoyed later that night.

Once everyone arrived at Pops Thursday night, we shared food, drinks (maybe a little too many), and lots of laughs.

Side note- Chid brought FROZEN shrimp cocktail to share with the group. After thawing for 5 hours, they were able to be eaten at the end of the night. Thanks Chid for putting a lot of thought into your side item.

Ellen, Kat and I thought it was a good idea to take shots in honor of Matt and Kat paying off their student loans. Peach vodka is not very taste by itself. I got to reminisce with Jason Whitner on dating Emily back in high school and dealing with good ol Rick Gibbs. I also misunderstood the announcer and stood up as people cheered for the veterans.

The night ended with a great fireworks display and sparklers courtesy of Ellen Bruce...I'm sad that Pops is over for the year.

Here are a few highlights from the night..