Good morning and Happy 4th of July. A couple of days late but so worth it to report that last weekend was another huge success for the city, the music scene and for the Microwave Dave Music Education Foundation (MDMEF).
Last Sunday, the 5th Annual Microwave Dave Day was held downtown on Washington Street. What has become an annual event to raise money for music education in the local schools started out as a “thank you” to give recognition to local blues artist Microwave Dave and his band, the NUKES. Back in 2015, Mayor Tommy Battle declared the last Sunday in June as Microwave Dave Day. This Sunday was extra special in that it was our 5th anniversary as well as the reopening of our host partner Humphrey’s Bar & Grill after being closed for almost three months due to a fire in their kitchen. It was a wonderful homecoming and great to have them back with us and have them back as part of the downtown Huntsville scene!
As they old saying goes, “What a beautiful day in the neighborhood!” rocking the streets of downtown Huntsville. We could have not asked for a better day other than a little less humidity and a lot less heat but it is June. Two weekends ago it was suppose to be another exceptional weekend for music with Tangled String Studios hosting Tangled String Music Fest downtown in the park but unfortunately Mother Nature dampened the show with a huge storm around 6:00 PM. It is extremely disappointing because we see Danny, John and Tangled String Music Fest as partners in our desire and drive to bring music festivals back to downtown Huntsville. They will be back and count on us for 2020.
Microwave Dave Day has become known for its celebration as a community event and for our desire to feature the best of local talent in north Alabama and this year was no exception. The All-Star jams have become legendary and Dave and the NUKES leave nothing on the table to close the night out! This years lineup was a who’s who of local musicians many of whom have been musician educators for our MDMEF “Concerts in the Classroom” educational (http://www.microwavedavemef.org/about-concerts-in-the-classroom.html)
The sponsorship funds and public donations from the gate go to further our mission of providing music education in the classrooms of North Alabama. There is absolutely nothing more rewarding than to see the smiles and excitement on the children’s faces when the musicians take the stage in their schools.
One of the things that I love most about the day is the sense of community and how the city comes together to celebrate Dave Day. For the last two years, with the support of the city, we have blocked off streets in downtown and brought a festival like atmosphere back. We are very fortunate and very blessed to have had the support over the past four years and to be showered with the love of everyone in attendance. And of course, there is the music and all the musicians that come out and give their time and energy. There are always a few surprises added to the lineups.
The other thing I love most about the day is whether young or old it is all about being “young at heart!” When you look through the crowd you see a variety of people of all races and all ages with one thing in common, a love for life, a love for this community and a love of music. It is a beautiful thing to see everyone come together and dancing in the streets.
We are so extremely grateful to everyone that came out Sunday to support the 5th Annual Microwave Dave Day and to ours sponsors and donors that have made a commitment to help further our educational vision through their donations. All of the proceeds from the Microwave Dave Day as well as any on-line donations go to the MDMEF to further our educational mission. (www.microwavedaveMEF.org).
Even with the exhaustive heat of the day and the toil it takes to put it all together, we could not help but look back on the event Monday morning and wonder how blessed we are five years later?
As Dave would say, “I’m a Road Runner Baaaabyyyy!”
Everyone there knew they had been “NUKED!” Enjoy!
