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It was Wednesday morning when my significant other, Jamie, asked me if I'd heard about the free concerts in Dodgeville on Wednesdays during the month of June. Of course I had heard of them, I said. They are sponsored by Lands' End, held at Harris Park and feature great bands, many of them local. The Dodgeville Chronicle has helped promote them, but my busy schedule usually keeps me from attending any of them unfortunately.
However, this particular first Wednesday of June I was a free woman. I had taken the afternoon off after working a few late nights and when asked if I wanted to go to the concert, I said sure!
Jamie and I packed a small cooler with popcorn and a couple drinks, grabbed our lawn chairs and a blanket and headed to Harris Park. When we got close, Jamie seemed surprised that there were so many people. But I wasn't; the concerts rarely fail to draw a decent crowd.
We sprayed ourselves sufficiently with bug spray, pulled out our snacks and talked quietly while the band played. I told Jamie about Harris Park and we both agreed it was the perfect venue for a free concert. We watched some kids run around down by the band - some of them were doing cartwheels, some were dancing. Others were kicking a soccer ball around.
We watched a couple as they played with their little baby girl. The dad, lying on his back on a blanket, was holding her up by her little legs, letting her body wiggle with the music. She loved it! And the parents were both smiling too.
As the evening wrapped up, Jamie asked if we could go to next week's concert. Alas, I have a meeting to attend in Barneveld, but I told him the last two we should definitely go to.
Jamie, who works at Lands' End, said a co-worker told him about the concert that morning. She said that if people don't attend the free concerts, they could get cancelled. How sad would that be?!
If you're looking for something to do the next three Wednesday nights, consider grabbing your lawn chair and heading up to Harris Park. The concerts are free, meaning all you have to do is show up! I'm almost sure you'll enjoy yourself.