The Duprees, along with several volunteer karaoke acts, performed in front of a packed crowd earlier this month at Guttenberg’s first free outdoor concert.
According to Police Lt. Joel Magenheimer, there were about 1,500 concert-goers at the Aug. 6 event.
Mayor James Hannon said that he had received “nothing but compliments.”
He said that the concert had attendees from the ages of 8 to 80 years old.
Hannon wanted to thank concert committee members Debbie Magenheimer and Annie Setliff, whom he said were like mother hens making sure the concert went smoothly. “Annie deserves a lot of this,” said Debbie.
Lifelong memories
The Duprees, whose hits began in the 1960s, are one of Hannon’s favorite musical groups because of the memories they bring back. He first heard one of his favorite songs, “You Belong to Me,” in 1952 while in a tent in Korea, and he said after the Duprees covered the song in the 1960s, it never faded away.
“I said when I was up on the stage, you’re going to leave here with memories and no one can take them away from you, because they’re yours forever,” Hannon said. “And that’s what these shows are all about.”
Community sings together
Setliff said that her highlight of the night was when Phil Granito of the Duprees, dedicated the song “I Believe I Can Fly” to Carol Mellifiore, a Guttenberg resident who is battling cancer.
Mellifiore’s son, Michael, took his mother to the concert to see her favorite band.
According to Hannon, the time that the Duprees spent meeting, taking photos, and signing autographs with the crowd was important.
“People just come together,” said Setliff “All different ages just got along, and it was a great turnout.”
At the end of the show, an elderly woman stood up and asked the Duprees if they would mind her singing God Bless America, Hannon said. He said he wished he knew her name so he could thank her.
“Everybody stood up, and the Duprees joined in,” said Hannon “It was magical. She stole the show.”