Patriotic theme, weather 'very cool'

Publication Date: 06/16/02

By HERB BROCK
Staff Writer

It was about 10 a.m. Saturday and Susan Justice
already was in position for the Great American Brass Band Festival parade, still an hour away.

"My husband and I learned last year, at our first festival, that you can never get a seat too early for the parade," said the woman from Oakland, just outside of Bowling Green.

But Justice and her husband, David, had to unlearn another lesson they got last year. Weather for the 2001 event was typical festival fare -- very warm, very humid and very sunny, except, of course, when it storms. Thus, the Justices last year picked a spot on Main that was in the shade of a tree. They did the same this year. But they quickly noticed that the weather wasn't the same.

"My husband insisted that we put our chairs here under this tree, like last year," said Susan Justice, managing a forced grin while she rubbed her goosebump-covered arms. Asked where her shade- loving husband was, she said, "There he comes now, to the rescue," at which point David Justice wrapped a jacket around his truly "chilled-out" wife.

Whether they were shivering in the chilly shade or basking in the brilliant sunshine, the thousands of festival-goers who lined the sidewalks along Main, three-deep at spots, appreciated both the unusually cool and dry temperatures -- in the low 70s with low humidity as opposed to more typical mid- to upper 80s with shirt-soaking humidity --and the unabashedly patriotic theme of the 2002 event.

And, according to the Justices and a couple of dozen other people who attended the parade and concerts on the second day of the three-day, 13th annual GABBF, this year's "Celebrate America" theme was, as one young woman put it, "very cool," as was the welcome break break in the festival's muggy meteorological history. The pleasant weather provided a perfect backdrop for the day's music and marching.

Not that the weather is such a unique topic of conversation. Who doesn't talk about it, especially when encountering a lot of people you don't know. But this year, GABBF-goers considered the topic real news and eagerly wanted to talk about the shockingly comfortable conditions.

Not that the festival ever lacked a patriotic flavor. Patriotic music and red, white and blue colors have always been staples of the styles of music and dress played and worn at the event. But this year, patriotism was emphasized in the wake of the events of Sept. 11.

And perhaps no one appreciated the theme and weather more than Werner Smock, a member of the Olde Towne Brass Band of Huntsville, Ala., an outfit which plays a lot of patriotic music, primarily from the Civil War era, and wears heavy uniforms in doing so.

"We've been here every year since 1997, and it always has been steamy and uncomfortable. This weather is the coolest we've had, and it's great," said Smock, wearing a mid-nineteenth century-era, dark navy, woolen uniform, and giving a thumbs up to the cooling down of the thermometer.

Smock also gave his approval to heating up of patriotism as the festival's theme.

"This country really got together after 9-11. Some of that spirit has started to die down, though," he said. "Maybe this festival and the focus on patriotism can rekindle that post-9-11 spirit."

Carl Keiser, a unicyclist from Columbus, Ohio, agreed.

"You can never have too much patriotism. I'm glad that's the theme this year, given what this country has gone through in recent months," said Keiser. "And you can never have too much cool. When it's muggy and hot, like is it was my first year here last year, it's hard riding around all day in long, dark pants and a long shirt."

The "uniforms" worn by several festival-goers were both cool and patriotic. Take for example, the vest worn by 7-year-old Sam Nelson. Made by his mother, Julie Nelson of Danville, the vest was covered with little American flags. It was made for Sam for his performance as Uncle Sam in a play at Jennie Rogers Elementary School.

"I am Sam and I was Sam," said Sam, coming close to the famous line from Dr. Seuss, "Sam I am."

The Midge Milam who was in Danville on Saturday was the Midge Milam she "plays" the other 360-plus days a year in her hometown of Benton. And that would be "as patriotic a person as I can be." But on Saturday, the six-year veteran of GABBF did something she doesn't normally do and that was wear a shirt with an American flag on it.

"This is kind of a patriotic event anyway, but I'm glad they are really emphasizing it this year," she said. "I think this country really became as united and as patriotic as I've seen it in a long, long time, after Sept. 11, but I think some of that unity has faded. Maybe this festival can regain that spirit, at least for the people here."

If patriotic spirit is measured by apparel, then Randal and Becky Braun of Peoria, Ill., have double the dedication to their country. Both of them were wearing the same T-shirts, each with a flowing American flag running diagonally across the front.

"We normally wear these American flag T-shirts just on the Fourth of July, but when we heard what the theme for this year's festival was going to be, we decided to bring them along with us," said Becky Braun. "But with the cooler weather, we wish, today at least, they had long sleeves."

"There was a resurgence in patriotism right after the Twin Towers were hit. It's waned a little," said Randal Braun. "Maybe this festival will start a second wave of patriotism."

Becky Braun said the couple are "big T-shirt collectors," noting that it was a T-shirt from an earlier festival that drew their attention southward to Danville and the GABBF.

"We had lived in Danville, Ill., for several years. One day, in Peoria, we saw someone wearing a colorful T- shirt with Danville on it. We thought it might be someone from our old hometown in Danville, Ill., but it turned out to be a band festival T-shirt from Danville, Ky.," she said. "The person told us about the festival and, since we love brass band music, we decided to come on down.

"Even when it's hot, we've enjoyed every festival. It doesn't really matter if we're standing to watch the parade or sitting somewhere to listen to a concert, there's not a bad seat in the house or a bad note played."

And those seats for the parade were varied Saturday. Most people sat on lawn chairs, while others sat along the low walls in front of The Presbyterian Church of Danville and other buildings along Main. Others sat on the pavement at intersections, while many, like the Brauns, stood.

Frances, Charlotte and Evelyn Lackney of Danville, ages 6, 7 and 1 1/2, respectively, probably had the most unique seats -- in a bright red, Radio Flyer wagon their parents, Todd and Susan Lackney, were taking turns pulling.

"Last year, I was by myself with the children and was having a time pushing one in the stroller and keeping the other two close by," said Susan Lackney. "The wagon keeps everyone together."

But while she was talking about togetherness, her youngest separated herself from her older sisters. Little Evelyn got out of the wagon and tried to pull it. "Well, the wagon was a good idea for a while," a slightly-deflated Mom said with a chuckle.

A couple of slightly older festival-goers, Jim and Winie Humphrey of Lexington, sat in lawn chairs near the curb on Main Street, facing Weisiger Park at the Boyle County Courthouse. When the concert they were listening to was over and it was time for the parade to begin, they simply turned their chairs around to face Main. "It's taken years of practice but we learned that this is a great place to put our chairs," said Winie Humphrey. "We simply love the music and want to make sure we don't miss a minute of any concert."

The Humphreys love of music was what brought them together, she said.

"Jim was in the University of Kentucky marching band. I had played music for years and would've loved to have been in the band but they didn't allow women at that time," said Winie Humphrey, who graduated from UK in 1955, two years after her husband. Their sons and daughters also played in bands.

From the Humphreys' position, near the southeast corner of Main and Fourth streets, they watched and heard several bands march by, all playing patriotic music and regional favorites with the most popular selections by far being "Dixie" and "My Old Kentucky Home" and the most popular band being those mainstays of the parade, the Olympia Brass Band.

They also saw cars carrying political celebrities, including U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, U.S. 6th District Rep. Ernie Fletcher, Danville Mayor Alex Stevens, 54th District State Rep. John W.D. Bowling and 22nd District State Sen. Tom Buford. Mayoral candidate Pat Smith, wearing a bright yellow outfit and carrying yellow balloons, earlier had walked around Weisiger Park, not campaigning, she insisted, but serving as a sort of human welcome wagon.

"I'm just welcoming people to the downtown and the festival. If I were doing this for votes, it wouldn't be very productive. Most of the people I'm meeting are from our of town," she said with a laugh.

And the Danvillians who were there were far more interested in music than politics, anyway.

Unlike the Humphreys, George and Frances Walker of Danville never played in any bands, but they love hearing brass band music just the same -- from their seats inside their pickup truck.

Every year of the festival, the Faulkners park the truck in the Save-A-Lot parking lot in a spot next to the entrance from Main. They've parked in the same spot for years.

"We have a great seat," said George Faulkner, laughing. "We have a good view of the parade and can later hear the music from (the Centre College Main Stage), if we don't want to go over there to get closer."

This year, though, is a little different.

"In the past, we turned on the air conditioning in the truck, leaving a small crack so we can hear the music," he said. "Today, we can turn off the air and roll our windows all the way down and really hear the music."

And what Faulkner and his spouse heard from a band in the parade -- a patriotic piece -- was really music to his ears.

"I love to hear that music honoring this country. Makes me feel proud," he said. "And I love it when everybody of every color and background unites behind this country. America is at its best and most united when she's in trouble."