Dancing the night away

Hayden Concert Series kicks off in a big way

Live music, good food, spending time with friends and family, and dancing are the perfect recipe for a memorable summer night.

With Handshake Productions kicking off its 2020 Hayden Concert Series, Kootenai County will be seeing a lot more nights like these. Chris Guggemos was excited to finally host the first of many shows this summer Thursday night at McIntire Family Park: A concert with the Coeur d’Alene Big Band.

Joining a long list of recent event cancellations, Guggemos was remiss to cancel the first two concerts in Coeur d’Alene City Park and downtown Coeur d’Alene earlier this summer. Luckily, the city of Hayden felt McIntire Family Park was just the right fit to allow big band lovers to flock to and dance the night away.

“Everything got canceled from the first of March so the band is excited to be here and they’ve been rehearsing diligently to get ready,” Guggemos said. “It feels great, it’s wonderful and a lot of these people I recognize.”

Premiering the summer concert series has become almost tradition for the Coeur d’Alene Big Band, filling the air with the warm sounds of old tunes and authentic renditions of the waltz, polka, tango, and Latin pieces.

As performers picked up their instruments, couples took to the basketball court to strut their stuff and sway to the rhythm. For Ben and Mary Dituri, coming to the summer concerts has been one of their favorite events for over 15 years.

“I tell you it’s great, we’ve really been missing dancing because that’s the only exercise we get,” Ben said. “We used to keep up with all the bands and we’d dance two or three times a week.”

For years the band has utilized McIntire Family Park for its open area and basketball court that can be turned into a floor. While the city’s permission for the summer concerts is on a probationary week-to-week basis, dependent on social distancing measures and participants’ behavior, it was clear people were delighted to feel normal again.

“People are meant to be with each other and I believe that’s the most important thing, people want to be with other people they like,” Guggemos said. “There has been a lot of friendships and acquaintances created over 29 years of people coming to these shows, so a lot of them are seeing faces they haven’t seen since the last concert in August.”