Needham Enjoys a Night at the Pops

Needham residents filled Symphony Hall on Saturday, June 11 for a special Boston Pops concert in celebration of the town's 300th birthday. It was a unique program—tailor-made by local organizers as a way of enjoying the Pops' beautiful music among family, neighbors and friends on a night set aside for them.

Members of the Needham High School chorus performed alongside the Pops, and Town Moderator Michael Fee got a chance to guest conduct—a prize he bid on successfully at the March "Dancing with the Needham Stars" event, also part of the tercentennial celebration.

"It was the most amazing night. I've talked to people who said they cried through the whole thing. I cried myself when the high school kids were singing. In some ways it was almost surreal," said Needham 300 member Sandy Tobin, describing the Pops night. "You're sitting in this beautiful hall and it hits you that the thousands of people in that room were there for one thing: To celebrate the fact we are a community. I was born and raised in Needham and I've never been more proud of my town than that night."

Tobin offered kudos to those who had organized the big night.

"Paul Attridge, Gina McClellan and the rest of their committee deserve a huge thank you for the year they spent putting together such a fabulous event," she said.