Frisky weather no match for patriotism and fun

While the crowd at the start of the annual Independence Day Celebration was smaller than in most years, the threat of rain didn’t stop thousands from showing up at McConnell-Talbert Stadium on Friday.

“It looks like the crowd is down a little bit because of the weather,” Warner Robins Mayor Randy Toms said as dark clouds loomed in the distance. “But you’re here. That’s what matters.”

Gates opened about 7 p.m. and country singer Mary Kate Farmer’s performance was canceled at the last minute due to the weather threat.

Country music duo Montgomery Gentry took the stage and played to a cheering crowd.

Lacey Amos stood in the front row, singing the lyrics along with them.

“I’ve been here pretty much every year but one year,” Amos said, standing with her fiance, Josh Yancey. “It’s free, it’s fun, plenty to do. And you get to see a concert. You can’t beat it.”

A couple with matching Fourth of July shirts sat on bleacher seats on the asphalt amid more than 5,000 people who were gathered there in the parking lot beside the stadium.

“We lived here for 38 years. I retired in 2007 from the base,” Tony Hamlett said sitting beside his wife, Dianne.

The couple drove an hour from Thomaston to watch the fireworks show and listen to Montgomery Gentry’s music.

“We were a little skittish about the rain,” Hamlett said. “We always just enjoy the entertainment.”

This story was originally published June 30, 2017 at 9:05 PM with the headline "Frisky weather no match for patriotism and fun."