14th Annual Edison Pops Concert By Eric McKinney/EDISON STATE COLLEGE/Charlotte Campus
Break out your dancing shoes, fire up the hot rod and prepare to ‘Let The Good Times Roll’ as the 14th annual Edison POPS at Sunset concert promises to entertain.
The Saturday event on the Charlotte Campus of Edison State College has a different flair than usual with local favorites The BoogieMen returning to center stage. This will mark only the second time the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra has not performed at the POPS. The last such occasion also featured The BoogieMen in 2005 as Charlotte County came together for the first time after Hurricane Charley.
“We had such a great time playing the POPS before we didn’t hesitate when they asked us to come back,” BoogieMen front man Mike Riley said. “And we’ve got a great show planned. It’s going to be an awesome night.”
The BoogieMen, a 10-piece “rock and soul orchestra” are schedule to perform a 2-hour set with a pair of special guests – world-renowned baritone Gregg Baker and The Platters’ Al Holland. The night also will open with Taste, a local jazz swing trio.
Reserved table seating is $35 per person or $350 for a table of 10, which general admission tickets $15 in advance and $20 at the gate. Tickets are available by calling 637-5645 or visiting edisonpops.com/charlotte. Gates open at 5 p.m. with the concert scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
“It is so satisfying to see all the hard work that our board and staff put into this event payoff each year when the lights go down, the music begins and we see a thousand people sitting under the stars enjoying themselves on our campus,” ESC Charlotte Campus president Dr. Patricia Land said. “There’s something special about watching the community gather in celebration, especially when it’s for such a good cause like the POPS.”
POPS is presented by the Edison State College Foundation, Inc. with all the proceeds to benefit scholarships at ESC.
“Over the years POPS has built quite a nice scholarship to benefit our Charlotte Campus students,” Development Officer Ali Bender said. “More than half a million dollars have been poured into the Richard D. Yarger Scholarship Fund through the POPS.”
The POPS have generated nearly $540,000 for the Richard D. Yarger Scholarship Fund, an unrestrictive scholarship designed to benefit the greatest needs of Charlotte Campus students.
This year all proceeds will go toward the Adult Retraining Scholarship Program. Designed to help Charlotte County residents cope with the difficult economy, the ARSP offers scholarships to unemployed or recently laid off permanent residents in search of a degree.
“POPS has always been about more than just a good night of entertainment for the people of Charlotte County,” Land said. “It’s really about giving back and helping others, and that makes the entire night so much more enjoyable.”
For more information about Edison State College Charlotte Campus please visit www.edison.edu/charlotte or contact public information specialist Eric McKinney at 941-637-5628.
Edison State College is Southwest Florida’s largest, most established, most accessible and most affordable school of higher education serving more than 18,000 students in 5 counties with campuses in Lee, Collier and Charlotte, and a center serving Hendry/Glades. Many classes are available online.
