Staff reports
The weather forecast for tonight’s 17th annual Salute! concert at the Bartholomew County Memorial for Veterans on the Courthouse Lawn has improved. While skies will be cloudy over Columbus when the 7 p.m. concert begins, the highest chance of rain won’t occur until about 11 o’clock tonight — when there’s a 51 percent chance of precipitation.
Today’s AccuWeather revised forecast calls for temperatures in the upper 70s when the 7 p.m. concert begins, cooling just slightly by the time the concert ends about 8:45 p.m. The chance of rain at concert time is just 8 percent, the forecast says.
The Columbus Indiana Philharmonic concert will feature 19 songs — including “America the Beautiful,” “76 Trombones” and “You’re a Grand Old Flag” — and recognition of veterans in the audience.
Letters from Columbus area military veterans who did not return home will be read during the second half of the program, when featured singer Silvia McNair will perform “I’ll Be Seeing You.”
Philharmonic Music Director David Bowden made the call Thursday morning to hold the concert outdoors as planned. The indoor backup plan had been to move to Columbus North High School, Philharmonic marketing director Katelyn Ice said.
People planning to attend can begin placing chairs in the seating area anytime today. As many as 6,000 to 7,000 people have attended the free concert in past years.
