Marines provide grand finale for Hopelands season in Aiken

Jun. 26—Trumpets, trombones and clarinets were part of a friendly invasion Monday afternoon, with Parris Island Marine Band providing the grand finale for the Hopelands Concert Series' 49th season.

The group, which mainly performs at events in and around Aiken County, spent about an hour performing for hundreds of listeners in Hopelands Gardens, generating an upbeat review from Amber Coffey a tourism coordinator with the municipal government.

"The numbers were fantastic and the weather was beautiful," she said. "It was a little hot, but when you consider that at noon, we were getting severe storm warnings from the Columbia area, about wind gusts and possible hail, we were blessed with another beautiful evening."

Local Marine Corps League leader Robert Neal made similar comments. "Everything went well. I loved the support of the veterans and their families."

His organization helped organize Monday's gathering, as did the Friends of Hopelands and Rye Patch, an organization that was established in 1951 and is dedicated to supporting the property donors' written wishes to maintain "a quiet, peaceful garden of excellence" and for Rye Patch to be "a civic center of suitable dignity."

Band leadership was largely by Warrant Officer Mardia Tompo, from Coppell, Texas, and the concert also featured performances by smaller groups, including "Iron Mic," for pop; and "Dirty Boots," for brass. The playlist covered something from every generation of the past 200 years, as made famous by such creators as John Philip Sousa, Louis Armstrong and John Williams.

Cpl. Marquise Brown, from Jacksonville, Florida, helped put the music into context, serving as the announcer and also providing vocals for "America the Beautiful," helping bring the event to a close. Brown, acknowledging summertime heat, also offered a Marine-style reminder to his listeners: "Thank you all for being here, and stay hydrated."

Staff Sgt. Tiffany Woda, from Haughton, Louisiana, also helped handle conducting duty. "We have several concerts coming up this month and next month," she said, noting that the band also plays weekly in support of "colors and grad" — flag ceremonies and (for recruits) graduations.

The band usually has about 45 members, and "every performance we do, we play something a little different," said Woda, who also plays trumpet.

Cpl. Jacqueline Kliewer, a tuba player from San Diego, also offered some insight. "It's pretty sporadic, but I would say we roughly perform anywhere from five to 10 times out for the public, per year, but we also do parades, and we perform mostly in the Beaufort area, and Port Royal," she said.

"We come here every year," she said, referring to the Hopelands gathering. "This is annual for us, as well as the Beaufort Water Fest, and we really try to perform for our community as much as we can."

The traditional musical tribute to the various branches of the armed forces also included a new item, as the Space Force's anthem was played, joining the melodies linked for generations to the Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.

Coffey estimated Monday's attendance as 950-1,000, bringing the entire season's attendance up to around 5,900. The annual concert series normally runs from springtime into early summer and features a variety of musical and dance styles.

The Parris Island Marine Band's primary mission is to provide musical support for recruit graduations and other military ceremonies and events. In addition to playing at approximately 40 recruit graduations each year, the band also performs concerts and parades across the United States.

The primary mission of this week's performers, as stated on their website, is "provide musical support for recruit graduations and other military ceremonies and events," including approximately 40 recruit graduations per year as well as concerts and parades across the United States.