An Era Is Ending

 

An era is ending. That's neither good nor bad. It just is.

A few nights ago my wife and I attended a band concert on a local high school lawn. We took our own chairs as we do each time we go. They hold the concerts three or four times each summer. This particular one featured patriotic music, presumably in honor of Independence Day. In fact, one of the selections was an arrangement of the various armed forces themes, and veterans were asked to stand when “their” theme was played.

During the concert there was an appeal for money – mostly loose change – to support the group, since there was no charge for the concert. The band isn't very good, but that's not the point. Outdoor band concerts are an American form – a tradition – and one that seems to dominate the summer in rural, and sometimes urban, settings. One of our grandsons has a part in an amateur production of “The Music Man” and has learned how to play the trumpet (badly, by intention) as part of his role in the kids' band. The band is America.

A part of the appeal for money struck me, however. One of the reasons we were asked to support the band was that it was the last one in the county. Each year attendance at the performances has been decreasing, and it's only a matter of time before the musicians get too old, and the band folds. With movies, television, video games, and other attractions it's no wonder that people aren't much interested in band concerts anymore. Sitting at home is easier and more exciting. And with air-conditioning all but ubiquitous, the occasional cool breeze on a hot, humid night won't bring out the crowds. Nor will the insects. July 4^th will never be the same.

I'm sure there are counties with many more bands and many more concerts, but I suspect their attendance is diminishing as well. Although marching bands will continue for a while, especially at high school events, the era of the lawn band concert is rapidly ending. It has outlived its usefulness along with Decoration Day, Armistice Day, Washington's birthday, and, for Canadians, Dominion Day. They still exist but thet've been updated to keep up with the times.ⁱ I remember them with a great deal of affection, though my memories are often a little fuzzy.ⁱⁱ

Times are changing though. And patriotic parades are having fewer and fewer participantsⁱⁱⁱ as the military cemeteries fill up. Even living veterans are often embarrassed about their service. I was in the Air Force during the Viet Nam War,^iv but I didn't stand up when they played “Off we go, into the wild blue yonder.”^v

It's hard, though, to ignore the fact that eras have always been coming and going. It's nothing new. I don't mean things like the era of the space shuttle,^vi but those with greater significance. For example, the Pleistocene Era, the Biblical Era, the “Dark Ages,” The Era of Good Feelings, and, within my own memory, the era of Ebbets Field.^vii We get used to the absence of the familiar, and we move on in the expectation of better things to come. But that isn't always the case. In the words of Yogi Berra, “The future ain't what it used to be.”

Still, sooner or later, we get used to the new reality. However we don't always forget. An era is ending. We call it progress.

But sometimes I'm not sure.

Next episode: “Vitamin $” – You don't always get what you pay for.

i     In fact to a great degree those names won't even be recognized. When I wished a Canadian friend a happy Dominion Day, he looked at me with a funny expression on his face and, after a moment, informed me that “We don't call it that anymore.”

ii    A wise man, Will Rogers, once said of nostalgia, “Things ain't what they used to be and probably never was.”

iii    High school bands will continue to appear in these because they will always jump at the opportunity to perform and show off their (often imaginary) talents. And the publicity is good.

iv    Fortunately I was spared the risk of actually participating in the hostilities.

v       It was originally (1939) entitled “The Army Air Corps,” but in 1947 in it was changed to “U.S. Air Force.”

vi    The last (American) shuttle blasted off this morning.

vii    If you really care, the last game was played on September 24^th, 1957. The park had opened in 1913.