Celebrate America fills the house

Suzie Harrison

Members of the Laguna Community Concert Band are still floating in

the clouds after the success of Celebrate America, a patriotic music

program on Feb. 9.

“It was standing room only. We had to ask some people to wait to

come in,” program chair Carol Reynolds said.

Dennis White of the band said it was an absolute triumph to fill

the house, all 474 seats.

Reynolds said that there was a wonderful pre-concert show by

Swing-Set, led by Bryan Cameron and his wife Bobbette of Arch Beach

Heights, performing jazz in the courtyard.

“The big band music -- people loved it with Roxana Ward as the

soloist,” Reynolds said. “The real highlight of it I think was the

‘Lincoln Portrait’ narrated by Lona Ingwerson Love from South

Laguna.”

The concert opened with the American Legion color guard presenting

the colors and the “Star Spangled Banner.”

“It was amazing, totally amazing. I just loved it. It was the best

concert,” Richard Moore from the American Legion Post said.

Nine-year-old Native American flute prodigy played a solo piece

and then performed a specialty piece with Greg White on the American

drums.

“I was honored to be invited to open up an all American concert,”

Evren said. “I want to thank the Community Concert Band. I enjoyed

meeting them, practicing and listening to their music. I’m grateful

to the community for inviting me and supporting me.”

Reynolds said the reason she believes the performance was so

successful is that all the performers are from Laguna Beach.

“That’s what made it so great,” Reynolds said. “People knew them

... like Pat Kollenda and her wonderful choir and emcee Bob Henry.”

Other praises the band heard was that it was the best concert

ever, that people loved the music and that it was fantastic and more.

“It was successful beyond my wildest dreams,” Reynolds said. “At

the concert, we said that the auditorium couldn’t be filled, but we

did it.”

The Laguna Community Concert Band’s next performance will be from

10 to 11:10 a.m. March 1, the pre-Patriots Day Parade at the

Peppertree parking lot.

After that, the group will be performing an all-patriotic concert

for the Memorial Day Celebration at 11 a.m. May 26 at the

cobblestones at Main Beach.

To find out more about the band and its performances, call

497-0986.