by Rod Senior
To Gazette readers and everyone who attended this phenomenon, thank you for your enthusiastic support. You played your part in creating a very special atmosphere that helps to make Gateway such a lively and caring community. March 20th, being the hottest day of the year so far, was a gift from someone above who must have known that this unprecedented concert was a fundraiser for a worthwhile cause, the Lee Memorial Children's Hematology/Oncology and the NICU.As Music Director, I am proud of the many Gateway residents who bravely took the stage that was adorned by the fabulous lighting and sound system set up by Out Front Audio of Cape Coral (628-3523) who donated the entire package to the cause. Thank you Robert Roderick! I think the audience was stunned by the quality of the music of all genres. Thank you to all the performers for your dedication and tenacity over many months of rehearsals. It paid off in more ways than one.
Some Gateway residents criticized this event from the outset and tried to get it cancelled. One resident even tried to serve an injunction. Another contacted the Fire Chief in a failed attempt to blow the whistle. I have some news for those people - the 350 residents who attended on March 20th had a ball and do not share your negativity. The audience was not riff-raff, they did not sit on your lawn, they parked their cars respectfully, portable washrooms were provided, nobody damaged the golf course, the music stopped at 9:15pm prompt, no trash was left behind, and all the appropriate authorities were properly notified and consulted, including the Sheriff’s Office, South Trail Fire District, Gateway Golf & Country Club, Gateway Greens Community Association, and Gateway Services Community Development District. Next time someone tries to do something charitable to help to bring our community together that is unconventional, perhaps you might support it and ask what you can do to help, rather than trying to destroy it. The successful Gateway Pub Night can only enhance the image of our great community as an active, enjoyable, and respectable place in which to live.
One final announcement, the word is out that the amazing new stage that was so masterfully built by Lee Turk and his team at the new Cypress Links Arena is staying put and will be hosting Jimmy Buffett on Saturday June 26, 2010. So get your tickets quickly because this show will be sold out fast!
