Bethany Jazz Funeral to step off Sept. 6

The Southern Delaware resort area’s most unusual celebration takes place in the “Quiet Resort” of Bethany Beach on Labor Day, and everyone is invited, according to Carolyn Bacon and Marie Wright, the assistant chairpersons of this year’s Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral events.

The 2010 Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral will be celebrated on Labor Day Monday, Sept. 6, with activities beginning about 5:30 p.m. at the north end of the Bethany Beach Boardwalk.

At the Jazz Funeral, spectators go to the Bethany Beach Boardwalk on Labor Day Monday and are invited to join in a funeral procession of mourners, along with the combined forces of three Dixieland jazz bands, that carry a casket with a mannequin representing “Summer of 2010” to its final resting place at the Boardwalk Bandstand.

“The intent of the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral is for those attending to get involved, have fun and enjoy the day,” Bacon said. “There is something for all members of the family to enjoy, and the event is admission-free.”

The Jazz Funerals held in Bethany Beach are a tribute to the jazz funerals made famous in New Orleans.

Each year, the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral dedicates its events to a charity. This year’s charities are the Delaware Audubon Society and the Chesapeake Audubon Society.

Organizers chose Audubon because of their efforts to help clean up the oil-spattered Gulf coast and for their work of saving birds, sea turtles and other wildlife impacted by the damaged BP oil well. For example, the New Orleans Audubon Center is noted for saving sea turtles that were coated with oil and for rehabilitating turtles that ingested oily substances.

To help support the clean-up efforts of Audubon Society, the Bethany Beach’s “End of Summer Season Celebration” will also hold the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral Silent Auction. The fifth annual Jazz Funeral Silent Auction will be held on Friday, Sept. 3, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Bethany Blues Restaurant at 6 N. Pennsylvania Avenue in Bethany Beach.

All residents and visitors are being encouraged to attend the silent auction fundraising event, said Bacon.

“Every single dollar from the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral Silent Auction goes directly to the Delaware Audubon Society and the Chesapeake Audubon Society,” Bacon said. “Local businesses have been very generous with their contributions to help us in the fifth year of the silent auction. Those who attend to support Audubon will find an interesting array of gift certificates and merchandise from which to choose. Remember, the silent auction is all for charity and admission is free.”

Besides an array of gifts, the silent auction offers other benefits.

“Although you will probably have your hands full just looking over the items up for bid, holding the silent auction at Bethany Blues is an exciting treat in itself,” Bacon said. “Bethany Blues is one of the most popular restaurants on the coast and has generously agreed to provide light refreshments for those attending the Jazz Funeral Silent Auction.”

Music is also on the menu at the charity event.

“Our Silent Auction will also have great Dixieland music from members of the three New Orleans-style Dixieland bands who will perform as part of the Jazz Funeral on Monday,” Bacon said. “This is a tune-up session for our wonderful group of professional musicians who are preparing for their Labor Day performance.”

While the Friday afternoon Silent Auction event is the kick off to the Labor Day weekend, the Jazz Funeral on Labor Day is the wrap-up of Bethany’s summer season.

Three New Orleans-style Dixieland Jazz bands – the Dixie Cats, the Downtown Dixieland Band and the Jazz Funeral Irregulars – will provide the entertainment as Bethany bids a “Fond Farewell to Summer 2010.”

It is expected that the combined forces of bands of the Dixie Cats, the Downtown Dixieland Band and the Jazz Funeral Irregulars will have about 20 pieces.

According to Jazz Funeral Musical Director John Strawley, some of the tunes spectators will hear this year include “Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans” played in the key of C, “Basin Street Blues” also played in C, “When The Saints Go Marching In” in F, “Walk Close to Thee” in E flat, “Amazing Grace” in the key of B flat and “God Bless America” in F.

Strawley also said the band will play for an extended period of time at the conclusion of the Jazz Funeral on Sept. 6.

The playlist will include “In the Mood” in B flat, “When You’re Smiling” in B Flat, “Hello Dolly” in B flat, “Five Foot Two” in C, “California Here I Come” in C, “Darktown Strutters Ball” in C, “In the Good Old Summertime” in B flat, “Baby Face” in C and a few other ditties.

The original Jazz Funeral began 25 years ago. The event started small and grew as each year passed.

Former town council member Moss Wagner, who was the guest of honor at the 2005 Jazz Funeral, founded the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral. Wagner’s idea was to have a party to celebrate the closing of the resort season in a town where “there is a definite beginning and end to the summer season.” His informal, fun Labor Day parties held at his ice cream parlor turned into today’s Jazz Funeral celebration.

Now a resident of Crested Butte, Colo., where he owns and operates a message therapy business, Jazz Funeral founder Wagner encouraged participants to “dress in costume and have a great time.”

At the upcoming Jazz Funeral, spectators might see the grave-digger, the widow, Santa Claus, the cowboy, Batman, the official photographer, the diva, Elmo, any one of a dozen Disney characters and various loose interpretations of black funeral attire. Band members and Jazz Funeral committee members are usually outfitted with an official Jazz Funeral T-shirt.

The 2010 Jazz Funeral festivities will revolve around this year’s theme, “The Audubon Society Helps Save Our Shores.”

Part of the event is a series of brief reflections and recollections by Bethany residents, politicos and business people.

A representative of Audubon and the Jazz Funeral’s own Sister Marie are scheduled to present their comments and perspectives about the Summer of 2010.

An award ceremony will also be held to present the Second Annual Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral “Friends of Summer” Award, according to Wright.

This year’s honoree will be local resident Art Antal, for his work as the chairman of Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral for six years. Bethany businessman, arcade owner and restaurateur Antal helped the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral establish itself as the world’s only annual boardwalk jazz funeral.

Antal will be recognized for his ongoing support and his humorous presentations at the Jazz Funeral. He will be honored as a “Friend of Summer” on Labor Day, according to Wright.

“Art Antal always added a generous measure of humor to the Jazz Funeral,” Wright said. “Whether Art portrayed Batman, the Pope or a Hawaiian warlord; his costumes and persona were crowd-pleasers.”

In previous Jazz Funeral ceremonies at the Bethany bandstand, one of the featured speakers was always Antal.

“Art’s editorial wrap-ups of the just-passed seasons were pointed and humorous, and were usually interspersed with audience applause and laughter,” Wright said. “Audience members would often remark that Art Antal was the only person who could impersonate the Pope, crack jokes and not actually offend anyone.”

Those who are enjoying the final days of their vacations are being encouraged to stay around to witness the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral, while locals can breathe a sigh of relief that the traditional summer season has drawn to a close, according to Antal.

“The Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral is a festive occasion where locals and tourists alike can celebrate the end of another summer season for entirely different reasons,” Antal said.

The end of the season has another dynamic, according to former Bethany Town Councilman Harry Steele, who revealed a bit of insider information at a previous jazz funeral.

“The bad news for the merchants: The tourists leave. The good news for the merchants: The tourists leave,” Steele said to a round of audience laughter. “The good news for the locals: The tourists leave. The bad news for the locals: The hurricanes show up.”

The Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral is one of only a very few events in the country where all the participants are able and encouraged to join in the event, in this case, the funeral procession, according to Wright

“Being able to shed a few tears for ‘Dearly Departed Summer’ is the only requirement for those who join the procession,” Wright said. “Visitors and locals are invited to join in the procession and have as much fun as they want at the Jazz Funeral.”

“After all, this is the last weekend of the tourist season in Bethany; so enjoy it while you can.”

For the fifth consecutive year, the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral will be dedicated to those impacted by the lingering aftermath of the 2005 Hurricane Katrina, especially the residents of New Orleans, according to Wright.

Wright pointed out that providing funds for Audubon from the sale of merchandise and gift items at the Silent Auction is important because these monies are used to rescue oil soaked birds and sea turtles, as well as clean up beaches and wetlands.

“Your presence at the Silent Auction is a step in the right direction,” Wright said. “When you attend you can look over a wide range of local merchandise and enjoy the hospitality and fellowship at Bethany Blues restaurant on Friday, Sept. 3, from 3 to 5 p.m.”

Wright noted that a special effort is under way to contact area businesses for items of value that will be part of Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral Silent Auction.

A partial list of those who have provided support by donating gift certificates or merchandise for the Jazz Funeral Silent Auction include Patsy’s Restaurant, The Good Feet Store, Studio 8 Photography, TKO Designs, Fern Eisner Photography, Delaware Wireless, Five Guys Burgers & Fries, Silver Stockpile, The Frog House, Nantucket’s, Twinings Lobster Shanty, Candy Kitchen, Fisher’s Popcorn, Old Pro Golf, Five Guys Burgers & Fries, Grotto Pizza, McCabe’s Gourmet Market, Sedona, Delaware Massage Network, DiFebo’s Restaurant, Delmarva Shorebirds, Beartrap Dunes, Paradise Gifts, M&C at Antique Junction, Creations Gift Shop, Lighthouse Liquors, Mancini’s Restaurant, Dangerously Delicious Pies, Christy’s Keepsakes, Baja Beach House Grill, Yuppy Puppy, a Friend, Berry Good Treats, Bethany Resort Furnishings, Yesterday’s Toys and Games, Quiet Resorts Public Relations, Bethany Beach Video, Homeworks Floor Coverings, Beach Liquors, Sea Level, Food Lion, Bethany Beach Printing, Sea Dogs Golf Packages, Ocean City Advertising Agency, Giant Foods, Dogfish Head, Royal Dalton, Starbucks, and others. Perpetual Jazz Funeral sponsors are Bethany Blues, Golfin’ Dolphin Mini Golf, Artful Bean Coffee Shop, Bethany Beach Books, Parkway Restaurant, Jordan’s Rooftop, Harpoon Hanna’s, White Marlin Mall, Dave’s Surplus, East Coast Promotion & Research Group, and Dr. Elizabeth Reilly DPM of Pineapple Podiatry in Delray Beach, Fla.

The annual Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral on Labor Day Monday, Sept. 6, begins with a private “Wake” about 5 p.m. The “Solemn Procession” follows at 5:30 p.m. This year’s procession, accompanied by the music of three Dixieland jazz bands, will start at the north end of the Bethany Boardwalk. At the conclusion of the event, those who attend the Jazz Funeral are always encouraged to enjoy the rest of the evening by dining at local restaurants in Bethany Beach.

Anyone who wishes to volunteer to help out with the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral or the Silent Auction is being asked to e-mail jazzfuneral@mchsi.com, call to leave a message at (302) 537-1585 or send a note to P.O. Box 505, Bethany Beach, DE 19930.