Band made up of retirees hopes to inspire next generation of front porch pickers
SUN CITY CENTER, Fla. - A 40-member band made up of retirees entertains the Sun City Center crowd every Wednesday and hopes to inspire the next generation.
A two-hour afternoon jam session is underway in Sun City center.
"It's a lot of fun and it's always a little unexpected," Gary Pate, Front Porch Picker member said.
The Front Porch Pickers are made up of retired seniors that play string instruments together for the love of music.
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"A group of retired players who come from different walks of life," said Pate. "Some are semi-professional musicians. Some are just beginners and everything in between."
The Front Porch Pickers perform every Wednesday in Sun City Center.
For Ron Hatfield, it's a chance to prepare future generations for the pickers. He plays with his son and grandson.
"I found it's something that we can enjoy together. It's something we all kind of come back to," shared Scott Hatfield, Ron's son. "I have two brothers that also play music and we all get together and try to play different instruments, so we have a nice little band."
David Lickfeldt, 81, was president of the pickers for 13 years.
"I think there's great joy in being able to sing and make music. Yeah, great joy in it," he stated.
The group was started with four friends in 1999. They sat around a table playing music. Now there are more than 40 people all over the age of 60.
"We have a really good time, play, and we look forward to it a lot. Right now, we have probably about half of our crew. Well, two-thirds of our crew, about a third go north for the summer. So we're missing some key players, but it still works," Pate added.
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Most members are self-taught.
"I saw a movie, ‘Captain Corelli's Mandolin’, and I thought, man, that is a neat sounding instrument," Lickfeld explained. "So I picked it up and started playing it. I remember when I first made a chord with it, I thought, man, this is something special."
Bluegrass, country and western music is what they typically play.
"If the audience is entertained and having a good time, we're having a good time," Pate said.
The Front Porch Pickers play every Wednesday at 2 p.m. in Sun City Center.