Chillin' with some night music

A warm breeze provided a cool respite from the hot August temperatures for music lovers Friday.

Armed with Little River Band tickets and the company of a few friends, people like Charlene Colkins of Lewiston huddled their lawn chairs side by side to visit between musical numbers at Pioneer Park.

"Thank goodness there's a little breeze," said Colkins, who was hosting a group of out-of-town "hot-rod buffs" for Lewiston's Hot August Nights concert and car show this weekend.

For some of the 3,200 fans that filled the park shortly after the gates opened Friday evening, the laid-back atmosphere proved to be the No. 1 draw. For others, reminiscing with the Little River Band was the main event.

"This is one of my favorite bands that's playing," Jennifer Bergen of Lewiston said of the Little River Band. The Simon Tucker Project and the Senders also took the stage Friday.

Bergen, her husband Gary and 8-year-old daughter Olivia all showed up for Friday's show. The mellow atmosphere prompted many to unfold their lawn chairs, sit back and enjoy the sounds of a family night out.

Lines formed early for food at the park, and the beer garden drew lots of foot traffic.

The bands' music drowned out the sounds of souped-up exhausts and antique car horns from the Main Street cruise below the park. The cruise drew a crowd of its own, eager to inspect the classic cruisers and hot rods.

"It's really kind of neat," Bill Gratz of Clarkston said of the concert. "You really don't have to worry, kick back, relax, and not have to worry about much of anything."

The Little River Band was also the draw for Gratz, pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, who marked his first visit to Hot August Nights.

But fellow attendee April Cook of Lewiston acknowledged this summer was the first time she became acquainted with the band.

"I had to look on YouTube to see who they are actually," Cook laughed.

She and her husband Shawn Cook usually listen to the show by parking lawn chairs outside the gate, but were fortunate friends had extra tickets for Friday night's show.

Their spot also provided a central location perfect for listening to music and easy to find from the food vendors and beer garden once dusk turned to dark, Shawn Cook said.

Bill Spencer of Grangeville sat in the first few rows at last year's concert, but helped pick out a central seat Friday between the stage and vendors for himself, his wife and their friends.

"You can visit back here," he said, noting the distance from the park's band shell. The group has been coming the past three or four years to take in the concert.

"We bring our wives down," he said. "It's a good night out of town."

Hot August Nights continues today, when approximately 400 cars are expected to line Main Street from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Gates open at 5 p.m. for a concert featuring Mark Farner, formerly of Grand Funk Railroad, at Pioneer Park.

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Gary may be contacted at bgary@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2262.