Friends and families gather in park for annual concert

Sandra Davis arrived at 8 a.m. Monday to set up a blanket and chairs to reserve a spot near the stage for the annual Labor Day concert in Comstock Park.

Davis doesn’t regularly attend Spokane Symphony Orchestra events, but she never misses this free performance, which she considers a gift.

“This is a tradition for a lot of families,” she said.

As in most years, Davis found that many people already had reserved their places Sunday night by leaving blankets, tarps and chairs in the park. But that’s fine because that’s part of the event’s charm, she said.

Davis pointed at the east side of the audience area at yellow police tape marking off space beneath the largest ponderosa pine in the park – one group’s way of reserving a spot.

“They put on a real feast for their family and friends,” Davis said.

That group also is known for lighting candles to help set a special mood for the evening, she said.

One family near Davis’ tarp laid out three blankets and set up three adult chairs and a plastic children’s table with chairs, topped with a glass vase of yellow cone flowers.

By 3 p.m., dozens of blankets and beach chairs had been set up, but only six people had taken their places under the sunshine to wait the three hours for the concert to begin.

Davis listens to the concert with her daughter and her 5-year-old granddaughter and other friends. They pull up the tarp by concert time so the crinkle noise doesn’t disturb anyone.

There always are a lot of children, she said. If they get restless, a tennis court and swings are nearby.