Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 5, 1990 TAG: 9007050149
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
There was no other way to start the show Wednesday night.
Kingma had been rained on 9 of his first 11 years as master of ceremonies of Music For Americans. But with the evening sun keeping the temperatures near 90 degrees, the thousands who streamed into Roanoke's Victory Stadium didn't have to worry about rain this July 4.
The Sno-Cone sales were brisk, even after the sun dipped behind the stadium's west grandstand.
The crowd, which covered the stadium playing field and much of the two grandstands, came for music, fireworks and general all-round flag-waving.
Daniel White, 10, of Roanoke, had the responsibility of carrying the Stars and Stripes out for the Pledge of Allegiance.
Before the show, he was serious - but not nervous, he said - as his pals in Cub Scout Pack 38 fidgetted and rough-housed.
Once things got under way, they all did fine, marching solemnly in front of the crowd and giving the flag a two-fingered salute.
Then came the music. The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra's offerings included "The Sound of Music" and "The Stars and Stripes Forever." The Music For Americans Community Chorus sang "Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor" and "Let There Be Peace On Earth."
The orchestra and chorus were on separate stages, the orchestra under a tent and the chorus under a band shell. To help coordinate things between symphony conductor Victoria Bond and choral director Kingma, workers set up a special video system. Images from a camera trained on Bond showed up on a video monitor in front of Kingma.
Even 45 minutes after showtime, people were still streaming into the stadium, many walking in tennis-shoed clumps from Old Southwest. Some people decided to cut down on all the walking, instead setting up lawn chairs and listening from just across the Roanoke River from the stadium.
by CNB