Beatles Tribute Night at Florence Civic Center drew the largest crowd the weekly Thursday night Music on the Porch series has hosted to date.

Children scrambled up trees to get a peak at the performers, vans from PVTA and Rockridge edged the parking lot, and neighbors down Park Street on either side arranged blankets and set up lawn chairs to enjoy the show.

Dave Stern and Mike Jennings invited a number of special guests to play and sing with them throughout the evening.  Priscilla Ross, long-time organizer of the Music Series, handily transitioned from flute accompaniment duties with the band to thanking the long list of sponsors.  "Thank you for coming out," Ross called from the porch stage, "I think it's a record crowd, even more than for Young at Heart, so yay you!"

Jim LaBerge, of Westhampton, was attending for the first time.  "I think this is great!" he said, "I think I'll be back." His wife, Beth LaBerge, has come a number of times. "I like to dance my" she paused, "you know what off!"

Dick Guzowski, of Florence, stopped by on his return from a biking loop that started on Nonotuck Street, out to Leeds and back.  Leaning on his bike for make shift seating, Guzowski said, "Wow, this is bigger than last week!"

Florence personality Geography Gerry was in attendance.  "I don't get downtown that much these days," Gerry said, "but I'll give you four clues to help you guess the Oklahoma State Bird.  Name something you cut with. You put your hair in a pony blank.  What do planes do? A pitcher throws to a blank.  That's how you can always remember that the Oklahoma State Bird is a Scissor-tail Fly Catcher!"

The free musical evenings run each Thursday, from 6:30-8pm through August 28th.  There are seven more performances to the 2014 Music on the Porch season.  July 17, Free Range Cats, July 24, Heritage Pops' Orchestra, July 31, Mieke Pauley, August 7, Acoustic Brew (Campfire Night), August 14, A Taste of Honey, August 21, Drunk Stuntmen, August 28, Lonesome Brothers.