Washington Municipal Band ends 2010 season

    The Washington Municipal Band performed its final concert of the season Thursday night before a crowd of several hundred listeners. Band director Tom McNamar said Thursday?s crowd was a good crowd, which the band has had a lot of this year. He said the crowds this season have been comparable to those of pre-renovation days. 

    ?People certainly came out for the concerts this year,? said McNamar. ?What?s wonderful about Washington is there is a group of people more than willing to let you know if you?ve done a good job or not. I have people come up to me who express their gratitude for the band. That is the highlight of the evening.?

    McNamar said the weather has cooperated with the band for the most part this summer. 

    ?We?ve had low humidity and good temperatures on Thursday nights this year,? he said. ?Even when it was hot during the day, the weather usually broke just in time for the band concert.?

    McNamar said that last night was the hottest this year, and it did not go unnoticed by the musicians.

    ?We have a couple septuagenarians to look after,? said McNamar. ?I could tell the band was feeling the heat last night. We try to keep them hydrated. We?ve had concerts in the low- to mid-90s before with equally high humidity.?

    John Winga, a long-time clarinet player in the band, said he received a number of compliments from his friends Friday morning about the band performance Thursday. He said members of the audience often approach him to tell him they like the variety of music the band plays.

    Virginia Bordwell, who has played percussion in the band since 1985, said she thought Thursday?s crowd was very good considering the heat. She said the band members in the back row such as the tubas and bari saxophones had a rough time with the 90-degree heat and no wind. Bordwell said the stage is especially warm because of the bright lights that shine on the band. 

For the full story, see the Aug. 13 edition of The Washington Evening Journal