For 23 years, the “Friends of Summer” have mourned the passing of the summer tourist season at Bethany Beach, Del. The town known as the “Quiet Resort” is the idyllic location where each year a group of faithful mourners respectfully lay to rest their beloved summer season on Labor Day.
The 2008 Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral will be celebrated on Labor Day Monday, Sept. 1, with activities beginning about 5:30 p.m. at the north end of the Bethany Beach Boardwalk. In addition, there is the Jazz Funeral Silent Auction, to e held on Friday, Aug. 29, 3-5 p.m. at Bethany Blues restaurant, to support the American Cancer Society and their Relay For Life program.
All local residents and resort visitors are being invited to participate in this “quirky” Jazz Funeral tradition that is now celebrating its 23rd anniversary. All events are free to the public and are family-friendly.
Visitors are being encouraged to stay around to witness the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral, while locals can breathe a sign of relief that the traditional summer season has drawn to a close.
According to Bethany resident Art Antal, a longtime “friend” of the Jazz Funeral, “The Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral is a fitting event where both locals and tourists alike can celebrate the end of another summer season for entirely different reasons.”
Those who attend the Sept. 1 Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral will see a gathering of mourners — some draped in black shrouds, some donning dark sunglasses, some dressed in full comedic costume, some carrying flowers and reeds, and others twirling oversized umbrellas — all sobbing as they shuffle along the Bethany Boardwalk from the north end toward the town’s bandstand in the center of the Boardwalk.
The entertainment is provided by the combined forces of three bands — the Dixie Cats, the Downtown Dixieland Band, and the Jazz Funeral Irregulars. These New Orleans-style Dixieland Bands help Bethany bid a “Fond Farewell to Summer 2008” and are part of the procession that carry a casket with a mannequin representing “Summer of 2008” to its final resting place at the Boardwalk Bandstand.
In fact, the Jazz Funeral procession itself is led by the bands.
The Dixie Cats, Downtown Dixieland Band and Jazz Funeral Irregulars lead the throng of mourners to the bandstand. The bands play somber music until the end of the event when they shift into high gear with upbeat Dixieland tunes.
After the procession reaches the Bandstand, the band leads the assembled crowd in a rendition of “God Bless America” before the presentation of a series of short speeches to celebrate the funeral’s 23rd anniversary and the final burial of “Summer 2008.” Speakers at this year’s event include a representative from the American Red Cross and Jazz Funeral friend Antal, who previously received the Founder’s Award.
The Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral was founded by former Town Councilman Moss Wagner. Wagner now owns and operates a message-therapist business in his new hometown of Crested Butte, Colo.
Wagner’s original idea was to have a party to celebrate the closing of the summer resort in a town where there was a definite beginning and end to the resort season. Wagner commented that, “The Jazz Funeral started as a little celebration for locals. I felt like doing a festival, and it evolved into a theatrical, fun event.”
Wagner was honored at the 2005 celebration that marked the 20th year of the Jazz Funeral he founded.
Another former Bethany resident and entrepreneur who also now resides in the Crested Butte area is Ken Cloud. As one of the long time Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral participants, Cloud formerly served as the unofficial “pastor” of the event.
As a “Friend of Summer,” Cloud recollected that a couple of dozen die-hard Friends of Summer have gathered to lament its passing.
“Each Labor Day, the ‘Friends of Summer’ come together to share memories, have a few laughs, shed some tears and, ultimately, say goodbye,” Cloud said. “Each year, it seems ‘Summer’ gains more friends who follow behind its open casket, her tombstone and the sounds of wailing trumpet, clarinet, tuba and trombone.”
The funeral got its start 23 years ago, when Wagner and a few Bethany merchants decided to mark the end of summer with a jazz funeral and a small party, Cloud said.
“We used to roll out of our businesses around 4 or 5 o’clock on Labor Day, and nobody was left in town,” Cloud said. “So we all got together to give ‘Summer’ a proper burial.”
Every year since then, Bethany mourners have given each summer a dignified sendoff. And the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral has attracted crowds — crowds that ordinarily would have dispersed much earlier in the day as people take to the highways to head home after the Labor Day holiday.
Both Cloud and Wagner said that they have great expectations that the 23rd anniversary Jazz Funeral will continue to be a “fun” event for all who attend and participate.
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 Eugene Fritzler, who is the assistant chairman of the 2008 Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral.
“Being able to shed a few tears for ‘Dearly Departed Summer’ is the only requirement for those who join the procession,” Bethany resident Fritzler said. “Visitors and locals are invited to join in the procession and have as much fun as they want at the Jazz Funeral. We invited those who attend to dress up in their favorite costumes and have a great time.”
“After all, this is the last weekend of the ‘unofficial tourist season’ in Bethany; enjoy it while you can.”
In order to make this year’s Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral and Silent Auction run smoothly, the group is seeking new “Friends of Summer” to volunteer during the annual events.
An extra 2,000 or so visitors from up and down the East Coast usually attend the two events spread over a four-day period. Friends of Summer are needed to greet the guests and help run some of the Jazz Funeral events, Fritzler said.
“The Jazz Funeral has helped area restaurants by keeping people in town on Labor Day Monday,” Fritzler said. “Ken Cloud had it right. Before the Jazz Funeral got going, Bethany was a ghost town on Labor Day. Now Bethany rocks until late in the evening.”
Those who are interested in helping out as “Friends of Summer” can contact the Jazz Funeral at P.O. Box 505, Bethany Beach DE 19930, e-mail jazzfuneral@mchsi.com or leave a message at (302) 537-1585.
The Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral is also dedicated to those impacted by the lingering aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, especially the residents of New Orleans. The beneficiary of last year’s Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral was the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization.
In 2006, those who attended the Jazz Funeral events had the opportunity to contribute funds for local housing initiatives supported by the Sussex County Habitat for Humanity.
The 2005 Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral honored the work performed by members of the American Red Cross. Since the Jazz Funerals held in Bethany Beach are based on the jazz funerals made famous in New Orleans, when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005 those who organize the Jazz Funeral were inspired to do what they could to help out, according to Fritzler.
“In 2005, the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral was dedicated to those impacted by Hurricane Katrina whose late August wind, rains and storm surge devastated the Gulf Coast and New Orleans,” Fritzler said. “The 2005 Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral held a memorial service at the Boardwalk bandstand to honor all those in the Gulf Coast region and particularly New Orleans who passed away.”
Since New Orleans has experienced so much devastation during the August 2005 natural disaster, the lighthearted Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral celebration is held as a tribute to a unique tradition pioneered in the “Big Easy.”
The annual Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral on Labor Day Monday, Sept. 1, will begin 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 being encouraged to enjoy the rest of the evening by dining at local restaurants in Bethany Beach.