Festival ends with smooth, heavy chords and sunshine

Wendell Holmes of The Holmes Brothers gets into a jam early during their Sunday afternoon set at the 47th Orton Park Festival, August 26, 2012.

The final day of the 47th Orton Park Festival began with light drizzle but ended with sunshine and dry ground, and the smooth, heavy chords of Anders Osborne. The rain never got above mildly annoying and eventually faded to local showers under specific trees when there was a gust of wind.

As the sun rose, so did the audience in front of the main stage. Food and drink vendors did a brisk business as the neighborhood gathered one last day to enjoy a late summer party which is a fundraiser for the Marquette Neighborhood Association. Proceeds raised through the auction, cake walk, along with food and drink sales supports Wil-Mar Center programs including after school programs, food pantry, health classes, and educational programs.

A boy reaches for his order of lemon raspberry twist with blueberry cheesecake ice cream from The Chocolate Shoppe.

Madisalsa helped fill the floor in front of the stage with dancers by playing lively Salsa beats. Almost as entertaining was the Human Zamboni, who periodically used a squeegee on the dance floor to remove excess water. By the time The Holmes Brothers took the stage the Zamboni was no longer needed.

The Holmes Brothers played exuberant blues riffs to begin their set but their last few songs suggested the trio was losing steam toward the end. They revived the crowd however with a rousing encore.

The final act was Anders Osborne, which began with strong, thick chords and long sustained searing guitar licks. The crowd responded with enthusiasm as Anders and his long-locked bassist flipped their hair about in exaggerated fashion.

After a great first few songs the band seemed to jump about, delivering some songs in a traditional manner (sing and play), while lapsing into extended slow jams that left the audience wondering when it would end and aching to dance. Anders Osborne recovered with their final tune which brought the entire festival in for a soft, pleasing landing.

An extended first-look photo gallery is below.