Sounds of pride, patriotism ring at LibertyFest's Concert in the Park 

Patriotic music resonated throughout the University of Central Oklahoma campus Thursday night as the LibertyFest Community Band and 77th Army Band entertained their largest audience yet at the traditional Concert in the Park.

Eriech Tapia, LibertyFest Committee President, said the Community Band is comprised of approximately 100 musicians, all volunteers like the rest of the power behind LibertyFest. They get together about four times in the summer to practice patriotic and classical music.

“It brings everyone together, which we really love, and you don’t see (that) often in today’s times,” Tapia said. 

Second-year Community Band tuba player William Cagle noted the concert was held at a perfect time.  

"We really did it at a good time, at 7:30; earlier, it was just super-hot (but) now sitting here, we have a nice breeze.”

Cagle, who also is the LibertyFest Community Band librarian, said his role is to assemble all the music for the band. He lives in Bethany and does this throughout the school year for the marching band, so he was asked to do it this summer for LibertyFest.

It's “a fun job," he said. "I get to look at all the music and study it, and see where my part lies.”

The concert was an attraction for all ages.

"One of the best things about LibertyFest is we are able to bring the whole community out to celebrate patriotism,” Tapia said.

That sentiment has been shown in all of the LibertyFest events so far, and there still are more to come.