When we heard that Souled Out was providing the music at last month’s National Night Out activities at the gazebo, we decided right away to go. We were tired, and it was a fairly hot day, but Souled Out–a local covers band that emphasizes soul and funk tunes–always seemed to bring out a much more diverse crowd than what you usually get here in Front Royal. We took the van because we were going to do a few errands afterwards, and as soon as got out after parking on Jackson Street we could hear the sounds of Souled Out playing an Earth, Wind, & Fire tune, which was a good sign. And as we walked toward the gazebo, we immediately started running into people we knew, which was yet another good sign.

After chatting with them for a little bit, we started walking through the gazebo parking lot where numerous…