Get ready for the Labor Day Concert in the park

Barbara Gritzner
·2 min read

Labor Day is often considered the “unofficial” end of summer, and what better way to celebrate the end of the summer season and beginning of the fall season than to come to Bissell Park at 7 p.m. Sept. 5, and enjoy great musical entertainment in a casual and fun atmosphere.

The Oak Ridge Community Band plays the national anthem at the 2019 Memorial Day Concert.
The Oak Ridge Community Band plays the national anthem at the 2019 Memorial Day Concert.

This is a free family-friendly event so bring your chairs or blankets for outdoor seating. While adults are listening to the outstanding band performance, children can enjoy the playground next to the Performing Pavilion. To make this a “cool” time, Razzleberry’s Ice Cream Lab will be present.

The Community Band directed by band conductor Shaun Salem will be playing music focusing on “American” including Rick Kirby’s “An American Fanfare,” Clare Grundman’s “Second American Folk Rhapsody,” and a favorite for George Gershwin fans, “An American in Paris.” Other selections for the Labor Day program will be Rossano Galante’s “Afterlife,” Edward Elgar’s “Nimrod,” a theme from the 1985 western movie by the same name “Silverado” composed by Bruce Broughton, and the 4th movement from Vittorio Giannini’s “Symphony No. 3.”

The Community Band will also be playing Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever” and Samuel Ward’s “America, The Beautiful.”

Although all of the Community Band’s concerts are free, the band does have expenses and relies entirely on the generosity of the public. You can donate during intermission while attending the concert or by visiting the band’s website at www.orcb.org and donating via PayPal. Donations can also be made through Kroger Community Rewards and Amazon Smile. In addition, contributions can be mailed to ORCB, P.O. Box 6980, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830.

Want to join the band?

Community Band rehearsals are held at First Baptist Church on Thursday evenings, and area musicians who would like to join the band can call (865) 202-2773 for more information. The public can learn additional about the Community Band on at www.orcb.org, and keep up with band current events through Facebook at www.facebook.com/OakRidgeCommunityBand.

This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Get ready for the Labor Day Concert in the park