From Decatur’s website – accept no alternatives!…

4th of July Fireworks will be made up following the Concert on the Square on Saturday, September 28th. Local talent, Roxie Watson, will play on the bandstand starting at 7:00pm. Fireworks will take place at the conclusion of the concert, around 9:15 or 9:30. For more information, contact Katie Abel  404-371-8386.

Brooke sent in a note wondering if the fireworks might start a bit earlier since sunset is at around 7:30p, but based on the note above it doesn’t sound like it.

Larry English of last night’s Concert on the Square band, “Zydeco T” wrote in this morning recapping the events of yesterday evening and requested I try to obtain an explanation for why the sound company pulled the plug on the concert at 8p with little warning.

“There were 1000 people expecting us to play til 9:00. dancing kids, grown ups, it was shocking. The plug was just pulled at 8 pm. No amount of money or begging would change anything.”

I sent a note out to DBA president Scott Drake and Decatur Book Festival Executive Director Daren Wang earlier today for clarification.

Scott returned my email, confirming English’s account of how the sound crew was unwilling to stick around, adding…

I offered to buy his crew dinner or pay extra so we could have another hour, but he said no they were leaving.

Daren also replied promptly, accepting responsibility for the Sunday night event not being listed on the sound company’s task list for the weekend, and apologizing to the city’s Katie Abel for putting her in the position of having to break the news to an unhappy crowd that the concert was over.

However, Daren admitted he was also surprised by the sound crew’s “unwillingness to make things work”, noting that Ron Simpson’s sound company “has earned the highest accolades in the festival business.” According to Daren, Simpson was “off the grid last night, otherwise this would have had a significantly different outcome.”

Simpson chimed in shortly thereafter, verifying Daren’s statement. He apologized and accepted full responsibility for the incident, promising to make things up to the festival as soon as it could be arranged.

Cheryl Burnette writes in…

We are canceling tonight’s Concert on the Square due to the stormy weather. For those looking forward to hearing Soulhound play, we will reschedule them for the May Concert Series.

Like a little rain in your martini?  Neither does the Oakhurst Community Garden. Threats of rain in the forecast have forced the org to move its Martinis in the Garden fundraiser to the Friends School this evening.

Also, Cheryl announces that tonight’s Concert on the Square with Roxie Watson has been cancelled.   The Rain Barrel Auction, already once moved, is being pushed back again to the Arts Festival next weekend, according to Beth.