‘Finally Fridays’ marks 100th concert at Medina library

Posted 13 March 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos and article by Thom Jennings

MEDINA – About 200 people attended the final installment of the 2015 “Finally Fridays!” concert series at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library on Friday and they were greeted with cookies and Library Director Catherine Cooper, whose face beamed with pride.

Cooper had reason to smile, not only was The Middleport Community Choir performing to a packed house, the series reached an important milestone, the 100th performance.

“It is a wonderful turnout,” Cooper noted, “and we are honoring the community with a community choir.”

Started in 2002, Cooper said the concerts, which run from January through March, were a sort of a “winter survival” during the cold months when there is not much else to do in the area. Cooper said she enjoys seeing patrons “dancing in the library and having fun.”

Before the Middleport Community Choir took the stage, patrons passed around a clipboard so that they could write personal notes of appreciation to Cooper for bringing the series to Medina, and the Library’s Board of Directors presented Cooper with a large bouquet of flowers.

Catherine Cooper

“On Friday nights this place turns magical,” Cooper told the crowd. “It is filled with the magic of music. I thank all of you for coming out on many of these cold nights and having to park far away.”

Members of the Middleport Community Choir, led by Ric Jones, were dressed for the occasion, and immediately had the crowd entranced with their beautifully layered harmonies.

Ric Jones

Even though the group gets its name from Medina’s neighbor to the west, Middleport, the ensemble has a strong Medina presence. The group’s director Ric Jones is a Medina resident and is very active in Medina’s cultural and arts community.

Medina residents likely will not miss the cold winter months, but many of them will eagerly await the “Finally Fridays!” series return in 2016.