The love for The Beatles drew approximately 1,200 music lovers from Northwest Indiana to the “Big Barn” at Hobart’s County Line Orchard Saturday night. This was the eighth straight year for the event, which continually sells out. The family friendly evening is probably one of the most popular annual events in the region, thanks to great music, fantastic musicians, and of course, Tom Collins, the owner of County Line Orchard. For several hours, friends and strangers danced and sang, brought together by love.
Two large bins, usually used by the orchard to sell apples, were filled by people bringing in food donations. Raffle tickets, along with “Beatles in the Barn” hats and t-shirts were sold, along with the famous orchard donuts, of course. There were also food and drinks available, with plenty of tables and chairs.
Three bands performed all the favorites, plus some B sides and not so well known songs. First up were The Chris & Lou Band, followed by The Crawpuppies. To finish the evening, The MegaBeatles take the stage. The MegaBeatles consist of members of Chris & Lou and The Crawpuppies. Every member of both bands played in the mega band at some point in the set.
Tom Collins, along with Tom Lounges, emceed. Between sets, representatives from the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana and Hobart Police’s K9 unit were invited on stage to speak to the crowd. Also between bands were the drawings for three guitars: an electric, an electric acoustic, and a bass guitar, similar to the one made famous by Paul McCartney.
It was a special evening. Watching people of all ages dance together, singing to all the songs. I was a witness to what music can do, especially when it comes from The Beatles. A young girl, probably around ten years old, was in the front row all night. And she knew just about every word to every song. Think about that. It’s pretty amazing. Music is a powerful thing.
All these people came together simply for love. Whether it was the love of music, or the love of their community, whatever the reason, it was for love. Speaking of love, what better place, filled with so much love, to propose? That’s just what Jason Podo did. Toward the end of the evening, with some help from The MegaBeatles, he surprised his girlfriend, Amanda O’ Donnell, with an on stage wedding proposal. With tears in her eyes, she said yes.
And what better way to celebrate all that love, than with the songs of The Beatles. After all, “All You Need Is Love”.