The Flint Hills were alive with the sound of music during a breezy Saturday evening.

Thousands of people set up camping chairs in the middle of the prairie to listen to the Kansas City Symphony perform during the 11th-annual Symphony in the Flint Hills.

Country singer Michael Martin Murphey accompanied the symphony during part of the program, singing country songs like Rawhide, originally by Frankie Laine, and Happy Trails to You, originally by Roy Rogers.

During intermission, some people walked out into the prairie to take photos and observe the landscape, the vast hills their never-ending background.

Cheryl Mussatto, who has attended the concert for three years, said the event makes her proud to be a Kansan. Born and raised on a farm between Larimer and Herington, Mussatto said the event is a great way to show people not from the area how unique and beautiful the landscape can be.

Its an extraordinary opportunity for Kansas to really showcase what the Flint Hills has to offer, Mussatto said. To be able to listen to the beautiful symphony music sitting here in the beautiful flint hills as the sun sets you know it just is a fabulous experience.

Mussatto said everyone who gets the chance to attend a Symphony in the Flint Hills event should because its a one-of-a kind experience.

Julie Crawford, who is from Kansas City, has seen the Kansas City Symphony perform many times in the past, but never out in nature until Saturday.

She said the setting for the event is relaxing and almost spiritual because of the natural surroundings.

I love it. I think its so amazing you know the combination of the music and nature, Crawford said. Its really special.

This years theme was a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Chisholm Trail. The educational programs covered the history and importance of the trail, which ranchers used to drive cattle from Texas to Kansas rail heads after the Civil War.

Every year, the symphony prepares a musical program based on the theme of the event.

The concert ended with the symphony and Murphey performing Home on the Range, a tradition that started the first year of the event.

Go here to see the original:

The hills are alive - Manhattan Mercury (subscription)