PALM COAST, Fla. – The weather held out and Southern Chaos went on as planned.

Gathering in the courtyard of The Stage at Town Center lawn chairs lined the rows with residents and visitors taking in the free concert – one of three shows planned by the team at the Palm Coast Parks & Recreation department for the community to close out the summer months.

The inaugural show coincided with National Parks and Recreation Month and parks and recreation director James Hirst smiled broadly as he looked around at the crowd.

“We’re excited. Parks and rec month is a month that we love. Closing it out in this fashion is something we’ve dreamed of and have always wanted,” said Hirst. “We love that we get to do it.”

“We’re very surprised. We thought a couple hundred but we’re hitting over 300 now,” he said midway through the show as attendees continued to arrive.

Members of the parks and recreation team were eager to meet new neighbors and catch up with longtime residents like Anthony Wild, founder of Kids Rock the Nation, out to support the event.

“I’ve been involved in arts education and these types of events are epic for the community,” he said with appreciation. “As you can see, you’ve got all these people starving for music and entertainment.”

Familiar faces from the days of Picnic ‘n Pops and Shakespeare in the Park mixed with new residents like Tera Fierro who moved to Palm Coast five months ago with her family from Denver, Colorado. For them the evening was a chance to put down the phones and be together in their new community.

“I’m really, really excited for it,” she said. “I think (events like this are) important. My son has a friend here. I think that family time is important, outdoor time is important.”

Representing the Flagler County Cultural Council, Nancy Crouch was thrilled to see The Stage at Town Center being used for what it was always intended – to entertain the community.

“It’s really exciting to see how much activity this event and this site brings out to the community. People love coming here for outdoor concerts. It’s the perfect venue,” she said.

The City of Palm Coast’s parks and recreation department will host shows in August and September and pick back up in May 2025. The popular band ‘Soulfire’ was announced as the August 2024 entertainment.