This past Wednesday evening, July 28, the GN Rotary Summer Community Band gave its final performance of the summer season. It’s been an especially challenging season for the band because of COVID restrictions and, often, rainy weather. Regrettably, this resulted in minimal rehearsal time. However, despite these obstacles, the band performed magnificently under the leadership of conductor Jacqueline Tomlet.
This was the 21st year that the G.N. Rotary Band presented a summer concert series for our community. Unfortunately, last summer, due to the pandemic, the concert series was canceled. So, people were eager and thrilled to have the opportunity to once again see and hear the Rotary Band perform.
In fact, so much so that the crowd of people in attendance was way beyond what anyone anticipated. For many people, it was the first opportunity in a year and a half to enjoy a live and in-person concert among family, friends and neighbors. It could not have been a better atmosphere — sitting under the stars, enjoying lovely weather, and listening to joyful music created a sense of community and normalcy that everyone had obviously missed so much.
The band repertoire was quite varied — playing, among other things, standard patriotic marches (i.e. National Emblem March), show tunes (i.e. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), and classical (i.e. Amparito Roca) and jazz (i.e. Jump, Jive, and Wail) pieces. At intermission, The Rotary Club surprised the audience with free ice cream sandwiches. Apparently, the crowd had worked up quite an appetite from listening to the first act because the ice cream, obviously thoroughly enjoyed, quickly disappeared.
This wonderful event could not have happened without the cooperation and help of our own G.N. Park District and the generous and enthusiastic support of our Rotary Band sponsors — The Yankowitz Law Firm, Antonino’s Italian Restaurant, Paul’s GN Auto Repair, Northern Blvd. Collision, GN Diner, TQM Wealth Partners, Metropolitan Commercial Bank, North Shore Chemists Pharmacy, and Ellen Birnbaum, our Nassau County legislator and long time band member.
The Rotary Club of GN looks forward to bringing back the band once again, for its 22nd season, next summer for all to enjoy!
