What a night!
In September, 2000, my sister Helen and I planned a wonderful night on the town with our granddaughters to attend the Picnic Pops for a night of Henry Mancini. We couldn't wait to hear The Pink Panther and especially Baby Elephant Walk from the movie Hatari.
We primed our granddaughters for weeks prior to the event on how wonderful it would be to see the great Henry Mancini. We couldn't wait for the excitement to begin.
And exciting it was -- but not in the way I had anticipated. On the way out the door, I discovered that I had "lost" the tickets -- probably in that popular "safe" place with all the other items I've never been able to find again! Enlisting the aid of coworkers, we searched frantically for over an hour, both at home and at the office. At last I found them (and I won't admit where), so we were on our way!
Next stop - the fancy restaurant for our 6:00 reservation -- we just had time to make it! Until we pulled into the parking lot and found that there were no spots available. We were in a mini-van, and the parking lot was sized for midget-sized vehicles with nowhere to maneuver. Quite a task for someone who can't pull into the garage without 3 feet of clearance on either side. But we finally found a spot and walked the block to the restaurant where we had a delightful dinner.
Then onto the Amway Grand Plaza to take in the sights of the beautiful hotel. The granddaughters were in awe of the beautiful flowers and chandeliers. It was a real picture taking event. As you can see, Mackenzie and Heather already know how to do the model's hair-fluff-wave.
At last, time for Henry! We couldn't wait to see him perform. The music began with one of our favorites - Theme from "The Pink Panther". But no Henry.
Then on to the theme from "Mr. Lucky" - still no Henry.
Next came the themes from several television series - Hotel, Remington Steele and another - still no Henry.
Henry's daughter Monica made an appearance and sang several songs,and told stories about her father - but still no Henry. The concert closed with Mancini's beautiful "Moon River."
We had a wonderful evening and immensely enjoyed all Mr. Mancini's songs, but were disappointed that he didn't appear on stage. When we arrived home, my curiosity got the best of me so I had my son check the internet to look for Henry Mancini. My fears were confirmed when it stated - "Henry Mancini - 1924 to 1994" Poor Henry's been dead for 6 years!