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Huntington
Beach Photos
The Huntington Beach Rotary Club
purchased an inflatable band shell at
Central Park and dedicated it during the
summer 2005.
The band shell project has a long
history of community involvement. In
2000, a local group called Friends and
Neighbors of Sea Cliff put together a
proposal to build a community bandstand
for Huntington Beach Central Park.
Summer band concerts and other community
events are held each year in the area
near the Library and Cultural Center,
with the audience seated on the
hillside.
Calendar of Events
Organizers felt there was something
missing, however, and believed that an
acoustic band shell would better direct
sound toward the hillside.
The Rotary Club of Huntington Beach and
the Huntington Beach Sunrise Rotary Club
undertook the project to raise funds to
purchase an inflatable band shell that
can be set up in about 30 minutes, and
then deflated and stored between events.
This approach avoids the possibility of
vandalism and does not block park views
at other times during the year.
"Rotary International is celebrating its
100th anniversary this year, and clubs
throughout the world are encouraged to
undertake a significant project that
will have lasting benefit to their
community," Rotarian Dale Dunn said.
"Our clubs have chosen this project."
More than $15,000 was raised to purchase
the shell, operating equipment and to
cover shipping charges. Each club
pledged $2,500 to begin the campaign
along with the help of corporate donors
and 31 private citizen contributions.
On Sunday, a formal dedication will be
held to honor all donors, and to
officially present the band shell to the
city of Huntington Beach. That concert
will feature the Huntington Beach
Concert Band, under the direction of Tom
Ridley. The final concert of the summer
series will be Aug. 7, with an
all-trombone group named Bones West.
More than 1,000 people have been
attending the Concerts in the Park under
the sponsorship of the Huntington Beach
Concert Band. Audience members are
encouraged to bring folding chairs or a
blanket. Many bring a picnic supper. The
Rotarians are hoping the new band shell
will enhance the enjoyment of
concertgoers and improve other community
events.
ABOUT
HUNTINGTON BEACH CONCERT AND BANDS -
The City of
Huntington Beach enjoys numerous outdoor summer
concerts with a fantastic line up of bands for
the public to enjoy free of charge during the
months of May through September. From free
afternoon concerts overlooking the famous
Huntington Beach Pier and Pacific Ocean at
cement amphitheatre style Pier Plaza seating, to
parking lot concerts at the International
Surfing Museum and old-fashioned picnic basket &
blanket concerts in the sun or shade of the
naturally-sloped hills behind Huntington Central
Library at Huntington Central Park, tourists and
local residents delight in these community
events.
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