Arts - Out and about for Music in the Heart of Victory - Out and about for Music in the Heart of Victory

    On Friday, August 15, the Victory Neighborhood Association transformed The Warren (at 44th and Penn) into a town square where neighbors gathered to hear music and enjoy outdoor summer fare for the second Music in the Heart of Victory event. On stage were Stealin’ Home, the Andrew Walesch Quartet and the Northside’s Bruce Jackson & Friends. The Jackson band played Santana and a Cajun version of Hound Dog.

    A grandpa played peek-a-boo with a small boy in orange fedora and t-shirt. Couples danced, children drew pictures with sidewalk chalk, and a woman in a large sun hat read in front of the green prairie grass lining the street. I went alone, walking the three blocks from home.  A few people came with bikes and kids in strollers. Young, old, black, white, dogs, kids, grownups assembled. I met a very nice fun couple after striking up a conversation about their greyhound, Jasmine. It felt like Florida or California. Was I on vacation in the Victory Neighborhood at what was once the site of Fred’s Shell Station where my dad traded?                           

    What a wonderful change. What a great night.