It's Not Summer Without 'Pops,' and We're Not Talking Ice!

By Ellyn Santiago

It’s Summer Pops' 33rd year! Over the decades, more than a half million people have grabbed a corner of blanket on the lawn of Wilcox Park to hear the Chorus of Westerly rejoice in song with the Pops Festival Orchestra, featured quest singers, the Bells of Christ Church, the cannon booms supplied by the Artillery Company of Newport as Tchaikovsky's Overture of 1812 (AKA the William Tell Overture) is played, part of the always exhilarating finale featuring of fireworks by Grucci.

And for all those years, it was Chorus founder and musical director George Kent with baton. This year, it’s the new Chorus of Westerly musical director Andrew Howell conducting.

Patch spoke to our friend Howell to ask about what we might expect from this year’s show and, to find out if he has any pre-show jitters.

“I am looking forward to a beautiful day and some excellent music! We have en exciting show planned and I think the audience is in for a real treat,” Howell said.  

And about those nerves? With an audience of 25,000 or more, well, he’s got to be a tad anxious.

“Getting up in front of thousands of people is certainly a little nerve-wracking, but I keep reminding myself that I won't be alone,” Howell said. “I will have 170 of my closest friends in the Chorus of Westerly and a 54-piece orchestra to keep me company!”

What To Know If You Go:

When: Saturday June 22, pre-show beings at 6 with the main show set for 8 p.m.

Where:  Downtown Westerly’s Wilcox Park.

Tickets: Free of course!

Blanket rules:  You can’t claim your space with your blanket and chairs before 5 p.m. Friday. And, this is big, if you leave anything besides your blanket/seating, police will remove it.

Don’t Even Think About Bringing: pets (save for guide dogs), grills, candles, skateboards, bikes, scooters, and the like. And, no alcohol.

Off Limits: The stage area and back stage area is for performers only.  The back stage restrooms are for performers only. 

Restrooms: There are ample restroom facilities (Port-A-Potty) for the public in the parking area near the Westerly Public Library and the Post Office (adjacent to the park.)

The Biggie: Parking!: Take some advice from a longtime Pops aficionado: park outside of downtown (read: outer neighborhoods in Westerly like the North End and in downtown Pawcatuck).  And Westerly Police are not playing. They have issued the following parking restrictions:

~Grove Avenue will be closed to all vehicular traffic as of 5 p.m. June 22.  Exceptions will be made for those needing handicapped parking until all spaces are filled. Other motorists will be detoured onto Newton Avenue or other adjacent streets.

~Wilcox Avenue will be closed off to all vehicular traffic at 5 p.m. June 22.- Handicapped parking will be available on Grove Avenue, Broad Street, across from the Westerly Town Hall and extending to the Westerly Public Library, as well as parking areas in front of the United States Post Office.

Leaving Town After The Show: At the conclusion of the event, all vehicular traffic will be delayed for approximately (10) ten minutes to (15) fifteen minutes to allow pedestrians to freely return to their vehicles.Motorists on Railroad Avenue heading south will be directed onto Canal Street in a westerly direction. Motorists on Canal Street heading east will be directed onto High Street in a northerly direction in order to alleviate the congestion in the Downtown Westerly area.  Officers and/or traffic control signals will control all other traffic.

And from the Chorus website:

About Summer Pops: In 1981, as a salute to the entire region for helping to fund its first international concert tour that year, the Chorus of Westerly held a huge festive "Summer Pops" concert in downtown Westerly. Meant as a one-time performance, the audience was so enthusiastic with the event that many asked if the Chorus would do it again and think about doing it annually.

Thankfully, the Chorus agreed to give it another try, and soon the audience grew from 5,000 to 10,000 to, within five years, 25,000 people attending the "Summer Pops" concert annually.  The Chorus will triumphantly present its 33rd (!) Summer Pops in Westerly's beautiful Victorian strolling park, Wilcox Park! The concert will not only includes the Chorus of Westerly and Pops Festival Orchestra, but will also feature fireworks by Grucci, canons from the Newport Artillery, and the pealing church bells of Christ Church in the breathtaking finale of the concert, Tchaikovsky's world famous Overture of 1812.

We are so very proud to say that since 1981, over a half a million people have experienced Summer Pops and have made it their annual kick-off to summer. Pretty good for a concert that was supposed to be a one-time deal!