WEST NEWBURY MA

WEST NEWBURY MA

West Newbury Community Bandstand

Built - 1998

The rural and charming town of West Newbury is rich in scenic beauty and recreational activities for its residents and visitors offering hiking trails and pleasure boating along its shoreline. During the colder and contrasting months of the year, hayrides and cross-country skiing is also offered along with many other fun activities.

West Newbury residents proudly encourage that home-town atmosphere which led them to decide to appropriate monies privately, approximately $40,000, during a 1998 town meeting for a new bandstand, the first one the town has had. Also to support future concerts and defray necessary repairs and upkeep, a permanent endowment fund was also established.

When the West Newbury VFW Band was invited to give a concert for North Hampton, New Hampshire's community in their new bandstand on their town green, so impressed was the band with both the acoustics and general appearance of their structure, that they pushed for one for their town with basically the same design as theirs.

Local contractors were hired to build the structure doing a splendid job on the design and carpentry work taking great care to ensure that the acoustics were perfect. They built the ceiling flat so it would reflect sound downward and outwards at a 9-foot height with the music being emitted through a 360-degree sound system which would ensure a perfect sound completely around the bandstand. The structure itself is 6-sided and 244 feet in diameter with a special disability ramp access. It also has a VFA Handtub weathervane which was made to order.

Upon completion of the bandstand, a special dedication ceremony was held whereby the contractors and gift givers were feted and a special concert by the VFA Marching Band was given. From that date on, the town has had between 8 to 9 concerts a season, normally on Thursday evenings, from 6:30PM to 8PM, May through August. The Wolverine Jazz Band, the local VFA Marching Band, West Newbury's High School Band and Chorus, and many outside performing groups including jazz, Celtic, bluegrass, etc. have graced the stage of this magnificent bandstand to the delight of many crowds since its inception.

INFORMATION PROVIDED BY:

David W. Cook, Chairman

Bandstand Committee