Macon Pops to close tenth season with event at Museum of Arts and Sciences

There aren’t many places you can get a glimpse of a polar bear one moment and take in a swinging Hawaiian Luau the next, but you can Saturday at the Museum of Arts and Sciences thanks to the museum and Macon Pops.

First for the luau: Macon Pops closes its 10th season Saturday in the museum’s amphitheater with “Hawaiian Swing Revisited,” described as big band neo-swing with a Hawaiian twist.

Before the music starts, those who’ve pre-purchased tickets can dine on the luau’s roasted hog and trimmings prepared by Satterfield’s. Sorry, organizers said it’s too late to get food tickets now but Kona Ice will still be around serving tropical shaved ice and JBA will be on hand with a full bar and tropical cocktails.

As for the music, “Hawaiian Swing Revisited” is built on the Grammy-award nominated Big Kahuna and The Copa Cat Pack Big Band sound created by Macon Pop’s founders Steve Moretti and Matt Catingub 24 years ago for Concord Records. The band was a standalone group but also worked in support of well-known artists like Rosemary Clooney.

The Big Kahuna band played a variety of classic Hawaiian-style tunes in swing-era fashion.

“We invite everyone to experience the vibe and energy of this music as the Macon Pops Big Band brings back those crazy days,” Catingub said.

Moretti said the Saturday program is for the whole family and he encouraged bringing lawn chairs and blankets. Weather predictions are for a beautiful day and Susan Welsh, executive director of the museum, said the amphitheater offers some of the best sunset views in Macon.

Moretti has said he can’t believe it’s been 10 years since he and Catingub presented the first Macon Pops concert.

“The support we’ve gotten has been just amazing and we’re so glad to be part of the community,” he said. “We look forward to many more years with specially-themed, fun concerts and more outreach into schools and the community. We pride ourselves in making every concert an experience and Saturday will surely not disappoint.”

The Pops have ended their season at the museum amphitheater before and Moretti said it’s the perfect spot.

“The partnership we have with the museum and team there led by Susan Welsh is just fantastic,” he said. “And that amphitheater – let me tell you – it’s a first-rate concert venue and an amazing hidden gem we love to perform in. It’s really a win, win situation. People ought to come early and check out the museum and then enjoy the music.”

The museum’s hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. while concert/luau amphitheater gates open at 4 p.m. with the concert at 6 p.m.

At-the-gate concert tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children 10 and under. Ticketing and advanced tickets are sold by Macon Pops.

Saturday is a great day for a museum visit but so is virtually any other day. Regular admission is free for children under 3, $5 for kids 3-17, and $10 for adults with discounts for students, military and seniors. Museum members are admitted for free.

Welsh said the museum was thrilled to host Macon Pops again but also said there’s always plenty to do there.

“This is actually the last weekend to see the Emerging National exhibition, our strongest visual offering of the year showcasing rising stars from across the United States. This year there are four contemporary professional artists representing some of the nation’s finest undergraduate and graduate art programs. Their work ranges from large-scale abstract paintings and mixed media installations to ceramic sculpture.”

Also featured in an ongoing display is Georgia-based artist Alfred Conteh’s 2 Fronts exhibit exploring in large and small format paintings how African diaspora societies in the South are fighting social, economic, educational and psychological wars from within and from without to survive. Conteh uses realism to present both the honest and false narratives of history personified in his colossal, patina-covered figures.

Numerous summer programs and mini-camps are set for kids throughout the summer beginning with titles like Pollinator Passion, May 31, and continuing with regular programs like Work of the Heart, Polar Bear Den 2.0, World Ocean’s Day (June 8), Bird Day and more.

Scratching the surface of the museum’s offerings just slightly deeper, there are also regular animal and reptile shows and displays throughout the year along with planetarium shows and the annual Fulldome Film Festival in conjunction with the Macon Film Festival.

There are also outdoor trails and picnic sites as well as the Peyton Anderson Orchard area.

“We built the amphitheater in the orchard for additional program space for our raptor programs, fly-in bird shows and other programs but it’s definitely a perfect venue for a wide range of community events,” Welsh said. “A gift from the Peyton Anderson Foundation allowed us to recover about five overgrown acres in what was a pecan orchard when we bought the property in the 1960s. The amphitheater is there but so is our bat house, bird sanctuary and other things. There are interesting trails here and too often a lot of this seems to be a ‘best-kept secret’ sort of situation for so many area families. There’s just so much they could be taking advantage of out here.”

As for that polar bear, Welsh said the preserved, looming, static bear at the entry of the kid’s section is hands down the favorite selfie spot in the museum.

To discover more about the Museum of Arts and Sciences check their site at www.masmacon.com. For more on Macon Pops, go to www.maconpops.com.

Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com.