A message from the Hot Springs Concert Band...From its stirring opening, "The Captain America March," to its equally patriotic "Stars and Stripes Forever," and all in between, the Hot Springs Concert Band (HSCB) gave its all, musically and emotionally, to pay tribute to those of our nation's armed forces who gave their all - their very lives, for the future of freedom in the "home of the brave and the land of the free." What was perhaps most stirring and gratifying for the band was the tremendous audience that came to the concert. Calling these folks an audience might be doing them an injustice because so many were as much participants as they were observers. Not only that, but the concert hall at the Arkansas School of Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts (ASMSA) was busting at the seams. Cody Ford, band director for the school and member of the HSCB, set up the concert band chairs and music stands as well as the chairs for those attending. To begin with, he set up 200 chairs but it didn't take long to see that those would not be near enough. By concert time, people were still coming in so Cody and HSCB Director Jim Lloyd led the way in setting up about 150 more chairs until there were no more. In other words, it was standing room only for around 50 people. In all, counting the band, there were 450 to 500 folks who participated in this special event. Many thanks to Cody Ford and the ASMSA for allowing the band to present this concert in such a comfortable venue. This great attendance speaks as much about the concert "audience" as it does about the band. It is a good example of just how important our military still is to our culture and society, in particular on this day to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Though the concert was originally planned to be at Whittington Park, its move to the ASMSA apparently took nothing away from the depth and enthusiasm of the observance. Such solemn tributes such as "A Nation's Prayer," "They Solemnly Served" and "Taps" to stirring patriotic reminders such as "Semper Fidelis," "Armed Forces Salute" and "The Stars and Stripes Forever" provided a deepened sense of gratitude to our fallen heroes and perhaps even a strengthened sense of pride in this great country of ours. And... some of us were reminded to ask ourselves: "Am I the kind of American citizen worthy of the sacrifice of 1.3 million service men and women over the past 250 years?" In looking ahead, the band's Summer Concert Series begins with "Young at Heart" on Monday, June 15, at 6 p.m. at Whittington Park. If inclement weather looks imminent that day, the concert will be canceled as there is no available alternate indoor venue. The remaining three summer concerts will be held on June 29, July 13 and July 27. Those concert themes are "Summer Book Club," "Class Reunion" and "Heroic Measures," respectively. These concerts will take place at ASMSA at 200 Whittington Avenue in Hot Springs, where the Memorial Day concert was held. The Hot Springs Concert Band looks forward to seeing you at one or more of its summer concerts. That information, and additional photos of the concert, are also provided here on the band's website. |
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