Lisa Denton and Barry Courter
BARRY COURTER: Lisa, I once had a dog that was so frightened of thunder and fireworks, he'd jump through closed windows. It freaked him out so bad, one night he woke us with his piano playing. He couldn't find the melody at all. Seriously, he was standing on his hind legs pounding the keys with his front paws. I took a picture.
LISA DENTON: Now that's quite a story. Our bloodhound never tried to be a concert pianist, but he was the best meteorologist I've ever known. Even on blue-sky, sunny days, if he went to lie down in the bathroom, we'd know a storm was coming. We took cover ourselves the time he climbed into the bathtub and covered his head with a mattress.
BARRY: My former neighbors' dog once got into another neighbor's house during a storm and climbed into bed with her. That was weird enough, but the neighbor couldn't understand how her new bed partner had gotten past her own rottweilers.
LISA: If a dog will go up against rottweilers, maybe even the rottweilers know it's crazy.
BARRY: Hadn't considered that. Or they could have been in the tub when he broke in.
LISA: Yes, that's very possible.
I love all these dog memories, but I think the reason you brought the subject up is because there will be fireworks aplenty today and Tuesday. Some towns had their Fourth of July celebrations over the weekend, but there are still plenty of places to see a pyrotechnics show, including tonight at Pops on the River in Coolidge Park and Pops on the Greenway, featuring Sawyer Fredericks from Season 8 of "The Voice," in Collegedale. Tuesday, you can travel from Calhoun, Ga., to Henagar, Ala., for community festivals that end with fireworks.
BARRY: You are correct, as always. I don't think either of the wonderful symphonies playing these pops shows will have any trouble finding the melody, nor do I worry fans who attend won't recognize the numbers. The concerts are filled with familiar marches and patriotic numbers.
And, as you say, there will be fireworks, so folks with skittish dogs will want to set them up in a nice quiet room. One they can't get out of. And if you are looking for a little more twang with your bang, Sammy Kershaw is headlining Hats Off to America in Dunlap, Tenn., for their celebration tomorrow.
And I'm pretty excited to see Shawn Mullins at Nightfall on Friday. I believe I could sing "Lullaby" straight through I heard it so much back in the day. Still a good song.
LISA: And a good song to sing to the dogs when the fireworks start. "Everything's gonna be all right. Rockabye."
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Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354. Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.