MARION —  Professional piano player Richard Hughes took Marion residents on a stroll down memory lane with his sing-along of classic love songs on Monday, Feb. 13. 

Tunes included “Ain’t she Sweet” by Milton Ager and “Love and Marriage” by Frank Sinatra.

“If you like the music then sing,” said Hughes to his audience. “If not, just keep singing along,” he joked.

Love was in the air as council on aging members tapped their toes and clapped to the beat of Hughes' tunes. Some members displayed their Valentine’s Day spirit with red heart necklaces and headbands. 

Hughes began to play the first line of “Daisy Bell” by Harry Dacre. “Who remembers this one?” He asked the crowd. 

“Daisy Bell” tells the story of  a man named Michael who tries to win the heart of Daisy with a bicycle built for two, or as Hughes called it, “a bicycle from the trash.”

Giggles broke out across the audience as they sang along to the second verse.

“Cause I'll be damned if I'll be crammed, on a bicycle built for two,” sang the crowd 

Hughes delighted the audience with his piano playing, a skill he has worked out throughout his entire life.

“My mother wanted me to be a classical pianist,” said Hughes, whose mother enrolled him in piano lessons at seven years old. 

Keeping in the spirit of Valentine's Day, Hughes admitted that he kept playing the piano because he noticed how “all the girls hung out around the piano players.”

Lillian DiSpigna said that she was happy to celebrate her favorite holiday with a sing along. 

“He is so talented,” she said. “I can’t even imagine the dexterity that he needs in those fingers, he’s a talent.”

Although DiSpigna was amazed by Hughes’s talent, she said that she wish he played more of her favorite artist, Frank Sinatra. 

“I was hoping to hear my favorite by Frank Sinatra, “You Make Me Feel So Young’,” said DiSpigna.

DiSpigna said it was important to celebrate love.

“The most important attribute you can give to our world is the spirit of love,” said DiSpigna.