Groups stake out Sheryl Crow concert seats before sunrise at Omaha’s Memorial Park

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - If you’re looking for something to do and bold enough to brave the heat, Memorial Park may be right up your alley.

Friday evening the Omaha Celebrates America concert kicks off at 5:45 pm with the National Athem, a local band, a well-known guitarist, nine-time grammy award-winning singer Sheryl Crow as the headliner and fireworks to round out the event.

It’s an annual tradition that many told 6 News they never miss.

Our crews surveyed more than a dozen people and all of them, including one viewer, John Sutton, woke up before the sun to make it to the park by 5 a.m., when it officially opened.

“I like being right up near the stage,” Sutton said.

Sutton said he got his day started at 3:45 a.m. to make it on time, laying down several blankets at the front of the park, along with lawn chairs and even a balloon so his friends can find him easily.

Other patrons said they carried bricks all the way up the hill to keep their blankets from blowing away on their covered patch of grass.

But the biggest question of all was about the heat.

Despite Senior Chief Meteorologist Rusty Lord’s steamy forecast, tracking 97 degrees by the time the concert starts and ‘feels like’ temperatures at 100 degrees, it wasn’t enough to deter anyone.

A pair of sisters joked that they would be hydrated with water and a few adult beverages to get them through, while others said they were relieved to know M.U.D. would have hydration stations, along with Omaha Police and Fire personnel on hand to help too.

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