Downtown Silver City once again became the stage for a dance party pushing a lengthy exposition of classic rock and pop music. In a set up similar to last year‘s 1964 blast, the 60th anniversary of 1965 began at 10:00am on Saturday, June 21, and wrapped up by 7:09 that evening. For eight-plus hours, raucous rock, folk, and pop tunes echoed off historical storefronts.
The event doubled as a KURU publicity boost and fundraiser, and visitors got to look through Kevin Hearst’s solar telescope at the Summer Solstice Sun and purchase fresh-made fry-bread tacos from Noon at Nicki.
To pump out grand sound, the station’s PA amp drove two 15″ speakers, also borrowed from KURU. I queued the 209-song playlist on my laptop and let it run nonstop. Throughout this, the longest day of the year, General Manager Dug issued short videos to social media.
I kept an eye on weekend traffic, which flowed, ebbed, and picked up again as time marched on. Passersby marveled at the music selections and felt the joy of nostalgia. Some paused to dance. Favorites included “Apache 65,” “I’ll Never Find Another You,“ “Trains and Boats and Planes,” “The In Crowd,” and “May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose.”
All in all, the experience was one for the history books. We got to visit with our favorite neighbors, promote the station, and make new friends. But we’re not done yet: plans are to present 1975 in a few weeks. Stay tuned!