Cap off your Fourth of July celebrations with friends and family on the grounds of the Carrollton City Schools. The 2017 Sounds of Liberty Concert by The Carroll Symphony Orchestra begins at 8:00 p.m. and builds to a thrilling fireworks display with everyone’s favorite patriotic melodies.
Event planners invite everyone to gather on the grounds of Carrollton Elementary School which offers ample room for all the lawn chairs and beach blankets of the thousands who gather at the free event. Long-time attendees say that the grounds right in front of the stage offer the very best view of the fireworks as well as the thrill of experiencing the music “up close.”
As evening falls, spotlights switch on, the professional musicians mount the stage, Conductor Terry Lowry takes the podium, local radio stations go live, the “Call to the Colors” signals the American Legion Honor Guard to raise the colors, and “The Star-Spangled Banner” sounds across the crowd. The concert is described as an “All-American program” because the evening’s musical works were all written by American composers, including John Williams and John Philip Sousa.
Well-known soloist Larry Frazier’s performance of “Salute to the Patriots” will set the theme for the crowd to recognize both wartime and peacetime veterans of each of our country’s military branches as they take the stage. The symphony’s performance of John Williams’ “Hymn to the Fallen” from Saving Private Ryan will pay tribute to Carroll County’s brave men and women who have given their lives in service to our country.
The CSO will premiere three, exciting, new American works: “Confetti” by Atlanta native Bradley Harris, “Fanfare for Life” by J. Kino Williams, and a new work by CSO Young Composer Competition winner Zack Lester.
The “Symphonic Suite from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” by John Williams, will delight Potter fans of all ages.
Everyone’s favorite patriotic melodies, including “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “The Stars and Stripes Forever, ” are guaranteed to thrill the audience as the evening culminates in a brilliant fireworks display.
Mayor Walt Hollingsworth welcomes everyone to the celebration, “As mayor, and on behalf of the City Council, I want to say that we think the Sounds of Liberty is a great thing for the city. Thousands of people come to attend the concert and fireworks show. Terry Lowry and all the other professionals needed to put on such an event do a first-class job. We’re excited about it and know we’ll have another great concert.”
Commission Chairman Mary Smith commented, “Other than it’s being an awesome annual event that everyone has grown to love and look forward to attending each year, many people stay in town for the fourth and have family and friends come to our area. We’re glad that the county has been able to be a partner. The event has a great economic impact on our community.”
2017 will be the fourteenth year for the CSO to perform at The Sounds of Liberty. The Symphony’s first Sounds of Liberty concert was also the first year that awards were presented for the winning floats in the morning’s People’s Parade, a project organized and managed by the Evening Sertoma Club. The tradition continues as this year’s Community Spirit Cup will be presented by Carrollton Evening Sertoman Rebecca L. Smith, coordinator of The People’s Parade.
This year’s concert is presented by Carroll Symphony Orchestra Guild, City of Carrollton, Carroll County, Tanner Health System, Sewell Foundation, Southwire, Milestone Investment Management, Systems and Methods Inc., Almon Funeral Home, SyncGlobal Telecom, Scott Evans Dodge/Nissan, Sheriff Terry Langley, United Community Bank, Southern States Bank, Bank of North Georgia, West Georgia Technical College, Alex Roush Architects, Mike Bell Chevrolet, Hughes and Ray Company, Wells Fargo Foundation, Steve Adams and West Georgia Ambulance, the Cole Family Foundation, and Gradick Communications.
The launch site for the fireworks show, presented by the Carrollton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, is across Ben Scott Boulevard from the concert stage and will be located between the practice football field and the baseball field by Carrollton Junior High.
Traffic exiting the evening’s event will flow steadily under the guidance of Carrollton Police officers who will be stationed at the intersection of Ben Scott Boulevard and Hwy.166 Bypass, as well as the intersection of Hays Mill Road and the 166 Bypass. Traffic exiting from the stadium will be able to go either Trojan Drive or Wedgewood Drive. People will be able to enter Allison Circle; but because of the street construction, the gate at Allison Circle will close to traffic at 6:00, which means that the parking lot by the field house will be closed as a cut-through and only open for parking.
For those who cannot attend the concert in person, Gradick Communications’ radio stations Kiss 102.7 and B92 Country will broadcast the concert.
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