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Musician breaks out harp and starts playing during standstill on Georgia interstate

Musician Hailey Smith played her harp in the middle of the highway when a car accident brought traffic to a standstill on I-85 in Atlanta, photos show.
Musician Hailey Smith played her harp in the middle of the highway when a car accident brought traffic to a standstill on I-85 in Atlanta, photos show. Screengrab from Hailey Ann Smith's Facebook page

A musician was determined to make the most of her time when she found herself stuck in traffic. So she played her harp — in the middle of a busy Georgia interstate.

Hailey Smith, a musician for Harpist for the King, was among the drivers who were stuck after a crash shut down part of I-85 in Atlanta over the weekend. Some parked their cars and got out to stretch their legs, not knowing they were in for a musical treat.

“By that time we had made friends and I was in my concert gown and I had the harp in the car from a wedding @ the @AtlantaCountryClub,” Smith wrote on Facebook. “And so I got the harp out and parked myself in the very middle of the Interstate and played a few songs for everybody!”

Video from the impromptu concert shows Smith strumming away at her harp while drivers watched in awe from their cars. One woman took photos from atop her sunroof, according to Smith.

Her posts have garnered lots of love online, racking up thousands of comments and views.

“Wow, what a great way to share beautiful music!” one Facebook user wrote.

“As my daddy would say. When you have lemons make lemonade! You’re so wonderful!” another commented.

Smith said she was happy to make the best of the situation and hopefully brighten someone’s day.

“It’s not every day you get to play your baby grand harp on the middle of I85,” she wrote. “Sometimes you have a divine appt. See the need and fill it!”

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This story was originally published June 29, 2022 at 9:39 AM with the headline "Musician breaks out harp and starts playing during standstill on Georgia interstate."

Tanasia Kenney
Sun Herald
Tanasia is a service journalism reporter at the Charlotte Observer | CharlotteFive, working remotely from Atlanta, Georgia. She covers restaurant openings/closings in Charlotte and statewide explainers for the NC Service Journalism team. She’s been with McClatchy since 2020.
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