Riverfront Park pianos see plenty of performers on last day of summer

Angela Lee planned a picnic at the Red Wagon with her 5-year-old son, Brodi, and brought trash for the Garbage Goat to enjoy on Sunday, the final full day of summer.

But they were pleasantly surprised when they came across a piano at the foot of the Riverfront Park clock tower. It had been years since Lee played a piano, and her son had never touched one.

Brodi was hooked as soon as he touched the keys.

“I feel like you got it in you, dude,” said Lee, who plans to sign her son up for music lessons now.

“I’m going to sit right here all day,” Brodi said.

The installation started as an idea from the Piano Technicians Guild to weatherproof and paint a piano for the park. Music City donated a piano and a group of Spokane Falls Community College art students decorated it with Spokane landmarks before it was placed in the park in June 2018.

Neal Robinson, 84, was walking through the park with his wife, Beverly, 74, when he spotted a second piano, which was donated by Music City and installed outside the Looff Carrousel in May. Adams Elementary School students supplied their handprints for the painted flowers adorning it.

The pianos were supposed to go into storage after Labor Day weekend, but they’ll stay out as long as the weather permits, according to Fianna Dickson, the parks department spokesperson.

She said people going to the parks have enjoyed the opportunity to sit and play, as well as the spontaneous music.

“I was delighted to find a piano. I just learned” to play, Robinson said. “It’s never too late.”

The Robinsons took a flight from Chattanooga, Tennessee, a day early to explore Spokane before heading on a rafting trip along the Columbia River to Portland.

When Robinson found the piano in the park, he decided to play “Sentimental Journey,” Doris Day’s first No. 1 hit from 1945. It became a sort of theme song for soldiers coming back from World War II, he said.

After Robinson gave up the keys, Sloane Walters, 4, and her brother Cru, 2, hopped on the bench together.

“We come to the carousel, and if the piano is open they like to play a couple songs,” said their dad, Tyler Walters.

In the middle of the kids’ song, Walters said they were pretty good and asked what they were playing.

“Music,” Sloane said quickly before returning to her improvised melody.

At the clock tower, 9-year-old Lucy Naccarato, who was been learning piano for almost two years, honed her skills playing one of her favorite songs: “Carol of the Bells.”

On the last official day of the summer, she said she’s already looking forward to Christmas.

“Me too,” her brother, Jack, 2, chimed in.