The bank holiday Monday on 29th May dawned cloudy with a blustery wind, which was a shame as the day before had been warm and sunny and would have been much nicer for the fête at Stone, near Aylesbury. As it was the sun began to appear as the band set up to play, but the wind was as strong as ever. This makes it difficult, as music has to be pegged to the stand to stop it blowing away, but then it’s impossible to turn pages quickly. Several times music escaped anyway and had to be chased before it was lost.
The band was conducted by Brendan Gudgeon, and began with Strike Up the Band by George Gershwin. Other music we played included selections from musicals such as Les Misérables and West Side Story, medleys of classic rock and pop numbers by Queen and Coldplay, familiar tunes from Disney movies, and A Grand Day Out (the “Wallace and Gromit” theme).
Though it may have been windy the fête was well attended, and featured numerous stalls, a busy tearoom in the pavilion, and a beautiful vintage carousel. Some members of the band couldn’t resist having a ride on it during the interval.
