The pleasant melodies of the Twin Tier Community Band are expected to kick-off the first week of July during a performance at 2 p.m. Sunday on the grounds of the historic Crook Farm in Bradford.
This is the second year the patriotic event has been held in celebration of the Fourth of July.
The free, two-hour event, sponsored by Bradford Landmark Society, will feature a variety of music under the cover of a tent at the Seaward Avenue farm, said band director Diane Smith of Port Allegany.
Participants are asked to bring their own folding chairs or blankets to the event. Concessions that include ice cream and hot dogs will be sold during the event. Parking will be accessible to participants.
Smith said this is the second year in a row for the band to perform at Crook Farm, as last year’s performance was well-received.
“They’re from the Southern Tier of New York and the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania and come from all walks of life,” Smith said of band members. “They range in age from middle school up to senior citizens.”
She said the 30-member band routinely plays various show tunes and traditional music, as well as contemporary pop, contraband pieces, marches and patriotic tunes.
“We’ll play for two hours and will take a break with intermission,” Smith explained. “We’ll have maybe 14 or 15 pieces we play, with some short marches and some longer contra pieces.”
Smith said the band expects to conduct 11 performances this season in communities across the area, with nursing homes included. Many are held during the week in towns such as Port Allegany, as well as Portville, Olean and Angelica in New York state. The band also plays at the McKean County Fair in Smethport during its veterans’ day activities, and performs at the Swedish Festival in Mount Jewett.
Smith said the group is not an audition band, therefore anyone can play on wind, brass and percussion instruments with other musicians.
“If they’re able to handle the music, anyone can pick up an instrument and come play with us,” she added. “We all just get together for the joy of playing music.”
When asked how long she has conducted the band, Smith replied with a laugh, “I wish I knew that answer … I don’t know, probably 10 years.”
Smith, a flutist who has performed for musicals in the area, had been a music teacher in the Philadelphia area and at Catholic schools in Bradford. She also had been a counselor in the Smethport Area School District before retirement.
Harrijane Hannon Moore, president of Bradford Landmark, said she hopes to see the band concerts become an annual summer event because of the exposure it provides for the farm and organization.
“The more exposure we can have at Crook Farm, the better it is for Landmark,” she said.
Hannon Moore said the nonprofit organization connected with the band through board member John Place.
“Last year when we were planning events, (Place) mentioned his wife, Debbie (who plays with band) … and how anxious they are to do concerts all around,” Hannon Moore recalled. “So we included them in this year’s show and we’re looking forward to it again.”
