The opening event of the Spark Fishers Festival 2022 featured warm temperatures with a very pleasant breeze taking the edge of the heat.  There was a good crowd on hand to watch and listen to the White River Wind Symphony, a part of the local group of musicians, Fishers Music Works.  It is the first time that group has performed on the Nickel Plate Amphitheater stage in many years.

The concert opened with the National Anthem, but did something rarely seen….performing not just the first stanza of the Star Spangled Banner most of us know, but included the second stanza of the song as well.

It was an evening of American patriotic music…but there was one important exception.

In the middle of the song list, the band honored the people in Ukraine, fighting for their freedom and their nation, by playing their national anthem.  I messaged on social media that this was a “wow” moment for me.  Kudos to Fishers Music Works for deciding to learn, rehearse and perform the anthem of Ukraine.

I wonder what some of those fighters for Ukraine would think if they knew a city in the middle of the American Midwest chose to play their national anthem in the middle of a concert otherwise made up of American Patriotic songs.

I would hope they would be encouraged to continue their fight.