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Fifteen minutes before the orchestra was scheduled to perform at Mountville Church of the Brethren, powerful thunderstorms rolling through the area cut power to the venue.
Because rain had already driven the concert inside, the orchestra didn't need an electrical sound system. But it did need light to see its sheet music.
John Hess has been in charge of the Mountville Summer Lawn Concert series since it began 14 years ago, but even he was a little stumped.
"Maybe I can call the fire department and get them to bring a generator," he said.
Hess knows how popular these concerts are.
"We are averaging 700 people each Sunday," he said. "That's a lot for a little town."
With people already seated in the church and the overflow audience in lawn chairs in the lobby, Hess didn't want to cancel the concert.
When hopes for a generator faded, the orchestra came up with a different idea: play in the dark."Let's see how this goes," said orchestra conductor, Rick Staherski. "We'll play some pieces that are suitable for a low-light situation."
For some audience members, such shows are a Sunday night summer staple.
Ben and Sarah Clinger of Manheim Township travel to many concerts in the area.
"It's sad when the summer ends and there are no more concerts," Sarah Clinger said. "I go through withdrawal!"
Luckily for the Clingers and the rest of the audience of about 350, the orchestra was able to make its way through seven of its 14 planned pieces.
It began the night with "Leroy Anderson Favorites" and continued with "Evangeline: Two Cajun Songs."
After each piece, Staherski polled the orchestra members to see which songs they felt they could play in minimal light.
Midway through the performance, Hess shuffled to the stage and strategically placed two battery-powered swimming pool lights in the middle of the orchestra.
(660) (635) (9) (5) (3) (2) (2)After Staherski realized where the lights came from he said, "I think we're having a pool party!"
He then introduced a variation of the Harold Arlen classic "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead" from "The Wizard of Oz."
Later, the audience waved their fans through the humid air to the rhythm of John Philip Sousa's "Invincible Eagle."
By the time the orchestra began Josef Strauss' up-tempo polka piece "Ohne Sorgen," the light from the windows was almost nonexistent.
"Let's see how fast we can play it!" Staherski said.
The crowd gave the group a standing ovation as the performance ended.
"I really appreciate this orchestra doing what they just did," Hess said.
Staherski, only the second conductor the Lancaster Pops Orchestra has had since its inception in the '70s, said this was a first for him.
"We've had to move inside for rain before," he said. "But we've never had the power go out, too."
Ultimately, the performers didn't want to disappoint the crowd.
"The orchestra wanted to play something," Staherski said.
Then, as the last audience members filtered out of the church and the orchestra members put away their instruments, the lights came on.
E-mail: lfreeman@lnpnews.com
