Windbreakers, hot cocoa, and coffee might have been the items of the day, but for the large crowd of music lovers who attended Sunday's Concert in the Park at Mackle Park's pavilion, the music was the best warming factor of all.
And with the Gulf Coast Big Band entertaining the oversized audience with big band favorites from the Glenn Miller era, it wasn't too long before Mandy and Bill Getz from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., were out on the dance floor and kicking up their heels.
"I just love this type of music," said Mandy in between selections. "Both Bill and I have a huge collection of the '20s, '30s, and '40s music back home and we listen to it all the time. This is our first year on Marco and when we heard about the concert series, we couldn't believe it, so we made tracks over here as fast as we could."
Bill chipped in by adding, "There's nothing on the radio to listen to anymore as far as music goes. Most of it is all noise anyway."
The two-hour show gave Sandy and Dave Richards from Syracuse, N.Y., a welcomed respite as well. "We were hit by the Nor'easter snowstorm that ran up through New York, Massachusetts, and Maine, and we couldn't wait to get out of there," Dave laughed during sips of steaming coffee. "I guess some people may think it's a little cool on Marco today, but to us, it's just like summer."
"You're not going to hear any complaints from me either," added Sandy.
The Concerts in the Park continue with next Sunday's (2 p.m.) performance by the Music Makers Show Band followed by singer J. Robert on Jan. 19.
