The sun was just setting over the Camp Ground in Oak Bluffs as musicians tuned up their flutes and oboes. Lively music drifted across Ocean Park, inviting the public to gather around the gazebo and listen to the weekly concert of the Vineyard Haven Band. Tourists and town residents came dragging lawn chairs and blankets across the green. Mothers fussed over dripping ice cream cones and broke up squabbling children. Each family found a spot on the ragged grass and huddled together under the gibbous moon.
Stella Marathas spent this Sunday evening of her sixty-ninth summer on the Vineyard with her friends Elaine Downhall and Eileen Duffy. They chatted in the soft light of the gazebo, recalling summers past when their sons were all in the band. “We’re just enjoying a lovely concert,” Mrs. Marathas said. Mrs. Duffy, a resident of Cranston, RI., remembers band concerts in her home town. “When we were much younger we used to go and be entranced by the music. There aren’t many concerts like this one anymore.”
Children danced around the gazebo, racing and marching to the music, the little ones dragging their parents along with them. “I believe that the tradition started when sailors came home from World War II to spend time with their families. Their children used to chase them around during band concerts,” noted Mrs. Marathas. “At the end of the music, everyone would go to their cars and blow the horns, but I guess some things change. No one does that any more,” she sighed.
Ann and Bob Russell are year-round residents of Vineyard Haven who sprawled across an orange blanket Sunday evening and watched children careening around the lawn, doing cartwheels and linking arms to do the can-can. “It’s like a Fourth of July picnic, a family event that requires total participation. It’s not too often that you see grandparents, parents, and children enjoying themselves as they all do the same thing,” said Mr. Russell. “We’re just the spectators tonight,” added Mrs. Russell with a laugh.
Twins Heather and David Harris, who are 10, spent the evening romping around Ocean Park with their friends Katie and Annie Antonellis. The group collapsed on their blanket in a heap, giggling and panting after a fast-paced game of tag. “Nights like these are a lot of fun, we run and skip around the gazebo. We’ve met a lot of kids here, like we do every summer,” said Katie.
“We also like to pretend we’re in the band,” Annie added. The two families spend the summers in Oak Bluffs together, with all their cousins. “Age doesn’t matter here,” said Heather, “everyone just plays together.”
That appeared to be the spirit within the band as well as on the lawn. The musicians spanned the generations. Anthony White of New York city, who has been visiting the Vineyard with his family, found the mix of ages the most attractive aspect of the band. “I think it makes you appreciate the music for what it stands for, not its technicalities. It gives the band a lot of character.”
Band leader Gary Zwicky is embarking on his third season with the Vineyard Haven Band. “We’ve had a splendid start,” he said. “I see a lot of potential in the band and the crowd is great. They’re really good supporters.” The band’s selections ranged from Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer to O meu Lindo Portugal, but John Philip Sousa’s stirring marches were much in evidence.
Summer resident Robert Rogers doesn’t miss a single concert, especially since his son Ciaran plays the tuba in the band. “It’s a spectacular evening, enjoyed by the old and young. There seems to be a mutual respect between band members, despite differences in age. Also the fact that summer residents are able to play in the band gives us a sense of ownership in the Island, a sense of belonging,” Mr. Rogers remarked.
Richmond and Dottie Greene came to the Island for their honeymoon in 1943 and now live in Oak Bluffs for six months of each year. “The band concert is a great old institution that never really seems to change,” said Mr. Greene. “It’s a pleasant way to spend the evening.” Toward the end of the concert, the band played Mr. Greene’s favorite piece, Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever.
Then the entire lawn of listeners hoisted themselves up and off the blankets for the Star Spangled Banner. With their hands on their hearts, and the American flag fluttering in the evening breeze, the crowd paid tribute to Old Glory at the conclusion of one of the last grand American traditions.
This article appears in July 11, 1995.