MANCHESTER CT

MANCHESTER CT

Manchester Bicentennial Band Shell

Manchester Community College Grounds

Built - 1976

The town of Manchester is a very proud community located in the eastern section of the Hartford Region. It is made up of many thriving neighborhoods with friendly and community-spirited citizens, and of over 1,000 acres of park land. Its residents are very proud of their attractive neighborhoods, award-winning school system, performing arts organizations, the Manchester Memorial Hospital and the Manchester Community College where the band shell is located.

In 1976, the Manchester Bicentennial Band Shell was conceived as a living memorial for our nation's 200th birthday and as a representative of the town's community life. The state of Connecticut and its agency, the Manchester Community College, provided the large tract of land for the band shell with a forty-year lease. The structure is thus owned by the Town of Manchester and built by private funds.

The first concerts were presented in the summer of 1977 and have been ongoing since then with numbers ranging from 10 to 43 performances during the warm months. Performers have come to play on the band shell from all over the world to entertain the thousands of people over the years of its existence with no admission charged and backed by community business sponsors, gifts and memorial contributions and donations during concert intermissions. The band shell has also been the site of the Manchester Community College's commencement ceremonies as well as a venue for the town's 4th of July festivities.

INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY:

Internet http://www.manchesterbandshell.com