Organizers are looking to turn the LaGrange Hydrangea Festival into a knockout of an attraction this year, and LaGrange City Council approved funds that will help make sure they do.

Council on Tuesday approved giving $7,500 to the LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce to allow the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra to hold a special outdoor performance June 12.

“We asked the symphony to come on board outside their normal concert series to do an outdoor performance at Callaway Memorial Tower, very similar to what the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra does at Callaway Gardens, but instead have it right here in La-Grange,” said chamber President Page Estes.

The symphony will perform “Picnic with the Pops,” giving residents a chance to set up blankets and chairs on the lawn for the event.

“The mission of the symphony is to enrich the community through music,” said symphony board President-elect Dave Marler, “and we see this as almost a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expose our music to a broad cross-section of the community that otherwise would not have a chance to attend one of our concerts.”

Council members felt the concert would be a good way to bring residents into the festival, without having to charge them anything, while publicizing one of the city’s lesser-used monuments.

“I think one of the most underutilized spaces in LaGrange is the Callaway Tower,” said Councilman Jim Thornton. “It’s a beautiful setting over there, and I think the Callaway Foundation’s done a great job of maintaining it over the years.”

Symphony executives have cut the price by bringing in fewer performers and reusing previously performed material, allowing them to cut down on rehearsal time and music rentals.

“We have tried to be as frugal as we possibly can,” Marler said, “and still maintain the level of performance that we want to provide the community.”

The chamber is looking to mark the festival’s 10th anniversary with a bang - literally. Besides the symphony performance, there are plans to end the night with a fireworks display.

“It would be the perfect cap to what we feel like is going to be a very large tourist attraction for our community,” Estes said.

Reserved tables are being sold at $200 each, and general admission is $2 per child and $5 per adult through the chamber at (706) 884-8671.

Trey Wood can be reached at twood @ lagrangenews. com or (706) 884-7311, Ext. 228.