It’s pretty cool how much free or really cheap entertainment there is in Quincy, and a shame how much of it people miss out on.

Last night we went to see a group called the Decatur Park Singers.  They were supposed to perform outside at Clat Adams Park, but it was moved into the Civic Center due to the chance of rain.  They’re a group of about 20 college kids, mostly from Milliken University, who travel around performing as their summer job.  They sold CDs and bag chairs to help make money, but they weren’t pushy about it, and it was otherwise paid for by corporate sponsors.

I wasn’t expecting much, honestly.  After all, it was free; how good could they be, right?  Well, they were very good.  They were all great singers and musicians and danced well together, and seemed to be having a great time.  They did a Sesame Street montage that didn’t do much for me (I’ve never seen the show), but I bet the kids who got to go up front for it liked it.  They did songs from pretty much every era, from the Battle Hymn of the Republic to something by Miley Cyrus.  There was even some good 80s music in the mix.  One of the performers was Matt Sullivan from Quincy, who I’m told has performed with the Quincy Little Theater, so he got a big hand from the crowd when he was introduced.

This is one case where our elders are definitely wiser.  I’d say close to 3/4 of the crowd was retirement age.  A lot of this may not have seemed like their kind of music, but it was a fun night out and the price was right.  Smart folks.

We’ll definitely try to catch them again next year, and hope the weather is better so it can be outside the way they planned it.  And I’m going to try to pay more attention to events like this that are outside the usual fare.  People who say there’s nothing to do in this town just aren’t paying attention.