A Word from Josh: This was such a memorable show for so many reasons. First, it was show number 1,000 in the band's history. It was also the end of John's 18-year run as our lead singer. Under the best of circumstances that would be cause for a very emotional occasion. Unfortunately John's departure is not under the best of circumstances so emotions were complex and some people were on edge early on. But that didn't stop John from handling the gig with utmost class. He enabled all of us to celebrate our 1,000th show in grand style by inviting former band members to join us on stage for a reunion. It was awesome. Cherry Pie's original line-up which included bassist Shane Loy and drummer Nick Bartolotta played a couple songs and we shared memories of the "old days" with the audience. Former bassist Dann Walters also joined us for a couple songs. Former drummer Rico Scarpace, who has since moved to Florida, was the only former member unable to attend. It was also suitable that Charles Thomas was a part of the party. He has never been an official member of the band but he has played with us as a fill-in 22 times. Publicity surrounding all these milestones resulted in a tremendous crowd and threatened to overshadow the festival itself. Gemuetlichkeit Days, which is pronounced just like it's spelled, is a German-themed festival that features food, culture and several Polka bands which played in a building connected to the one we were playing in. Festival organizers treated us great and I'm not sure if they knew to expect such a special Cherry Pie show to land on their event. On a personal note, John and I were both original members of Cherry Pie back in 1999. In fact, he's the person who brought me into the band after he had met Dave to lay the initial groundwork. He did so because we had played together for a couple of years before that in a band called Beyond the Mirror. John and I both lived in Madison at the time and would carpool together to rehearsals for both bands which were in the Milwaukee area. So, I've been playing with him for over 20 years. That is a relationship that is longer than either of my marriages. I must say that I really like the guy, I wish him the best and I guarantee that I will go see him perform with what ever he does next. It was made clear tonight that thousands of other people feel the same way. It was in that spirit a couple of weeks ago that I made a musical slide-show video paying tribute to John. While he appreciated the sentiment and effort, he asked me to not feature the video on our website as I had planned for personal reasons. I have honored his request, but I would still like to share the video with the type of people who would still be reading this, so you can link to it here.     -Josh VOICES FROM THE CROWD: Were you at this show? Would you like to comment on it? Laura: "Great show" Michelle: "Thanks again for coming to our German heritage festival! What a great crowd. We were honored to host the 1000th show! Looking forward to seeing & hearing your new sound again this time next year! Although John will be missed..." Donavan and Becky: "That night was a very emotional night for everyone, especially my wife and myself. She stayed right in front, and I hung back to witness John go out with style!! He has been one of the biggest reasons we see the band: his charisma, showmanship, humor, stage presence and his awesome voice!!!!!!! I am glad to have given him the sign I made for him with everyone's signatures on it, to show how much we love him and we will miss him very, very much! THANK YOU SO VERY, VERY, VERY MUCH, JOHN!!!!!! YOU ARE AWESOME!!!!!!"

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