JAN
JARVIS
JJARVIS@SIERRASTAR.COM
Oakhurst Band offers Patriotic Celebration concert this weekend
JACKIE MALLOUF
The Oakhurst Community Band is composed of volunteer musicians,
young and older, some from as far away as Fresno.
JACKIE MALLOUF
Randy Hyatt conducts the Oakhurst Community Band.
How about an
early summer evening spent outside under the setting sun, listening
to live band music and sharing picnic fare with your family and
friends?
You could get this “Hollywood Bowl” experience by heading to L.A.
for the real thing and all it would cost you, besides time and gas,
would be $78 per person for box seats, plus $10 to $25 for parking,
depending on where you leave your car, plus maybe $100 for a catered
picnic for four (you can’t take perishables like Brie and chocolate-covered
strawberries through the Valley in the summertime, after all!).
And if you decided you weren’t up to driving down and back in one
day, there’s also the hotel to consider.
Fortunately, if you want to save time, money, nerves and gas, you
can have the same evening — with cleaner air, to boot — without
leaving the Mountain Area. Just come to the Patriotic Celebration
concert at Oakhurst Community Park on Sunday [June 27] at 5 p.m.
The event, which is free, will feature performances by the Yosemite
Jazz Band, the Children’s Choir (directed by Jackie Byers), the
Mountain Area Church Choir and, last but certainly far from least,
the Oakhurst Community Band. There will be food available for purchase,
or you can bring your own, along with a picnic blanket or a chair
to make yourself comfortable while you enjoy an experience that
reminds you of exactly why you moved to the foothills in the first
place.
The Oakhurst Community Band is one of the best-kept secrets around.
Band members can’t agree on its original date of inception, but
they all say it was “reincarnated” by Loren Callan in early 2001.
Callan, who took over as band director when his predecessor became
too busy to give the band the attention it warranted, served as
director until his death in late 2003. When asked why he wanted
to see the band revived, his widow Betty explained, “Because he
wanted to play in it. He loved it too much to not do it.”
The Callans met in high school in — where else? — music classes.
He played trumpet and she played violin but because of their talents
and profound love of music, they both moved on to learn other instruments,
including percussion. They moved to Oakhurst in 1999 and began playing
with the Oakhurst Community Band, “and he would still be playing
now if he could,” added Betty.
Loren wanted Randy Hyatt, who joined the band in mid-2003, to take
over for him. Hyatt had joined in mid-2003, and besides playing
French horn, was assistant director at the time of Loren’s death.
“The last time we spoke,” remembered Hyatt, “he handed me the music
and said he might not be able to conduct the next concert. Then
he was gone.”
Hyatt is assistant principal and band director at Yosemite High
School, besides being director of the Oakhurst Community Band. He
taught everything from kindergarten to marching band in his 22 years
with the Fresno Unified School District, and in his last three years
with FUSD, served as their music coordinator.
He recognizes the importance of music in the education of young
people and is proud that, since he became director, the number of
younger band members has gone from one to seven.
“One of my goals,” he explained, “is to offer a wider variety of
music to attract younger people to the audience. We had over 200
people at the last concert and I’d like to see even bigger, more
diverse audiences.”
Another goal is to add more young people to the band. Hyatt continued,
“Some band members put down their instruments 20 years ago and now
they’ve picked them up again and the older members mentor new ones.”
He added, “Playing in this band is like taking an advanced class
in music.”
If you decide to go to Sunday’s concert, you can play a little game
during the performance. Can you spot Wagner, Strauss and Souza (hint:
they all play clarinet)? How about the two father-daughter teams,
Analyse and Bert Johnson, and Chris and Natalie Erskine (Analyse
plays trumpet, Bert the French horn, Chris on alto sax and Natalie
plays flute)? And which ones are the married couples, Pat and Mary
Helen Mierkey, and Larry and Pam Vaccaro (Pat plays trombone, Mary
Helen is a percussionist, Larry plays trombone and Pam is on the
flute)?
The oldest member is 83 and the youngest is 15. They should be pretty
easy to locate. And in the back, keeping perfect time on the big
bass drum, is Betty Callan. “She’s an inspiration,” said Hyatt.
He is in such admiration of the Callans that he was hesitant to
present one of Loren’s favorite pieces, “March of the Steel Men,”
at the concert. “Loren played trumpet and there’s a trumpet trio
in this piece. When we performed it before, Loren would play and
someone else would conduct. I can still see him up there. On Sunday
it will be a tribute to him.”
The Oakhurst Community Band is non-profit and incorporated. “We
incorporated a long time ago,” said Betty, “so the band is our band.”
There is an informal auxiliary of dedicated volunteers who provide
refreshments, write letters, design posters, and generally make
it easier for the musicians to play. The band is supported by donations,
mainly from corporate sponsors and community service groups, including
Oakhurst Feed, Yosemite Bank, United Security Bank, Walt Bannon
Drilling and the Oakhurst Sierra Rotary.
The volunteer musicians have been rehearsing diligently for this
weekend’s performance and Hyatt is already planning the music for
their next event in November. They give three concerts a year, and
2004 is no exception. If you are interested in volunteering for
the band, call Randy Hyatt at (559) 683-4667 ext. 243 or email him
at rhyatt@yosemiteuhsd.com
As Hyatt took a break from rehearsals at the YHS band room one evening
earlier this week, he asked the musicians, “How many of you studied
music in school? How many studied sports?” Several hands were raised
for each question. “Now, how many of you still play sports?” Most
of the hands went down. “But,” he questioned with a smile, knowing
the probable answer, “how many of you still play music?”
Added one of the musicians, “I never met a test pilot who hadn’t
studied music.”
“Music is a life-long skill. It lasts us forever,” Hyatt reflected.
So, do yourself a favor and start the Fourth of July celebrations
early this year. Come to the park for the concert. There will be
some old favorites to bring back memories of summers gone by and
a few new pieces to help you create new memories. Some of us played
those black plastic flute things in grade school and others had
moms who insisted we practice the piano every day, but it helped
to make us well-rounded, tuned our motor skills, and made us believe
that if we practiced we, too, could be like Mozart. The next generation
should have the same opportunities we did.
“The God of Music dwelleth out of doors.” (Edith M Thomas)
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