The third time seemed to be the charm! After two cancellations in 2023 due to heavy rain, we were finally able to host a fabulous concert on the lawn by the Celebration Brass Band of Vermont on Thursday evening, October 10, 2024. 
The weather was a bit chilly, but we were blessed by sunshine, dry grass for those who brought blankets, delicious food provided by the Guilford Country Store and Andy Burrows, coordination with the Christ Church Cemetery Association, and trash/compost receptacles provided by the Windham Solid Waste Management Division.
Immediately prior to the concert, Linda Hay of Guilford presented a talk at the grave of Civil War General John Wolcott Phelps. The Band, founded in 2009 by Peter Simoneaux, movingly led those listeners from the gravesite to the lawn accompanied by a New Orleans-style dirge. They then played pieces not only by familiar musicians of the past such as Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong but also those composed and arranged by members of the Band. The appreciative audience interrupted frequently with applause for the skillfully-executed interludes and hummed along with old favorites, “When the saints go marching in” and “I’ll fly away.”
The concert was planned over several months by the Events Committee of the Christ Church Guilford Society, Inc. (CCGS) – Don McLean, Andy Burrows, Carol Leitch and Valerie Abrahamsen. The tent, borrowed from St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Brattleboro, was erected and taken down by a dedicated team that included Alan McBean, Andy Burrows, Lori Palmer, Rich Melanson, and Barry Aleshnick, with excellent coordination assistance by Elizabeth Vick and Carol Leitch. CCGS, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is dedicated to the preservation of Christ Church Guilford – the oldest Episcopal church building in Vermont – and to sponsoring events of value to the wider Guilford community. Generous donations from the audience and the Band will go toward essential repairs to the roof, ceiling and tower so that the building can be reopened to the public.
We are so fortunate in southern Vermont with its vibrant arts and musical scene! The Board of Directors of CCGS expresses its deep gratitude to Peter and the other Band members – Walter Slowinski, Ron Kelley, Dan DeWalt, Anders Burrows, Tim Ellis, Michael McKinney and Stephen Voorhees – for a wonderful and memorable event.
For more information on the Band, Peter Simoneaux can be contacted at 603-477-1596 or via email. Click here for the Band’s colorful website, with videos.
For more information on the Cemetery Association, check out their website.
(Photos thanks to Anne Montgomery)