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The Mann has always been very important to us and we have attended ever since it was built. We can't wait for the first concert and try to do every concert even though we live 45 miles away. We vividly remember the night many years ago when Freddy Mann's birthday was celebrated. After the concert, EVERYONE attending the concert received cake and ice cream. Then a dance band appeared and we were invited to dance on stage. It was a wonderful surprise after the usual great concert

And who can forget the 1812 overtures with live canons!

As many of us remember, we used to participate in a lottery at each concert, with the winner receiving the Maestro's wand. Then, at the last concert, the grand prize was announced, sometimes roundtrip tickets to Europe for two. Well, this particular year the prize was $1000 in merchandise from one of the large Philadelphia department stores. We try never to miss the last concert and heard the announcement of the winner but couldn't quite understand the name.

The next day, our phone rang at home and a lady's voice asked if our name was Fithian. We said yes and she replied "You have won the grand prize but I couldn't decide how to pronounce your name". As you can imagine we were very excited. After reflecting, we called back and said that we loved the Mann and wanted to donate the prize back to the Mann. she checked with the donor store and they agreed to donate $500 making a happy ending for all.

One concert we asked our grandson what he had liked best and he said "The lemon ice".

We took our grandson age 10 to hear a Mahler concert. He brought a friend and they wanted to sit way up at the top of the lawn by the trees on the right. We thought they would talk all the way through the Mahler 5th but it would still be a good experience. Afterwards, we asked them how they liked the concert. Our grandson said "Grandpa, I love the way Mahler keeps changing the music." So we decided he was listening.

-- Kathryn and Herb Fithian

I remember a James Taylor concert (quite a few years back now) in August in the middle of a severe drought. It hadn't rained much at all the entire summer and not at all in weeks. James Taylor starts into Fire and Rain and almost simultaneously as he said the word rain, it actually began to rain (albeit not all that hard and not for very long). I was one of those on the lawn and we all went nuts cheering. I remember seeing those seated under cover looking back trying to figure out what was going on and what exactly it was we were cheering so loudly for. It was a moment my friends and I still talk about.

--Eric Bowen

There are so many good memories of the Mann. That's why I keep coming back. Of course, I pre-date the current site. Originally, we would go to Strawberry Mansion. Either parents or an older sibling who drove would take us--it would be several teenagers together. Summer evenings were spent seeing everyone from the neighborhood (Mount Airy) or school (Central/Girls High). As I became older, The Mann was a perfect spot for a date. No money needed, the privacy of a summer evening sitting on the lawn or in the hills, and the most glorious music ever heard!

When the new site opened, I was a Philadelphia teacher. It was still a great place for a date and an even better place to be with friends. A great take-out dinner and a bottle of red and a bottle of white...and still the most glorious music ever heard.

Imagine, learning about music by being at The Mann. The first Rachmaninoff I ever heard was played by Van Cliburn. I've heard Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Andre Previn, and Kiri Te Kanawa. I've never heard the 1812 Overture indoors. Now I bring my family for Tony Bennett, Diane Schur and the Irish Tenors. And the music is always better for the sultry night air, with the stars in the sky and the memories of all the past concerts with lovers and friends.

It doesn't get any better.

--Jane E. Lessner, Esquire