The Flathead Community Band played a concert in the same park as the noontime park. Only 35 people were in the audience. I think that was close to the number of band members. One guy was younger than me with the rest of the people well over retirement age. Therefore it was easy to avoid talking to any women and somehow offend them.
An old lady came to everyone in the audience with a free raffle ticket for the chance to be the guest conductor for the final song, The Star Spangled Banner. I declined taking a ticket. I wasn't the only person to decline. Then just before the drawing an old woman gave her ticket to another old woman sitting on another bench. Initially the second woman took the ticket until she realized she was given the ticket.
"Oh no! Here take the ticket back!"
The first woman refused and the second woman unhappily held two tickets. Fortunately for her an older Filipino woman won. Her English was not that good and I am not sure she knew what she won.
To conduct the band she had to stand in front of the band. The conductor gave her a small baton. All the time she tried to back away and sit down and the conductor gently pulled her forward to the podium. She didn't succeed in getting away and eventually went along and waved her arm as the band played. With her limited English she said she came to the United State when she married her husband who she named.
The concert was interesting. Being a band they played - ta da! - band music. I was reminded of the movie, The Music Man. Yes, they did play a song from the movie. I rather enjoyed listening to the marches and band music played. I did noticed that when they strayed from band music and played, for example, the Cole Porter song, Don't Fence Me In, it didn't work that well.
Everyone wore a white shirt as a uniform. The nights get cool quickly once the sun sets so a few women also wore an extra shirt over their white shirt. The band's members looked to be on the older side with only a few seeming to be under 40. I noticed one the band's saxophone players was very elderly. Colleen mentioned she played saxophone in high school. I should let her know an opening for a sax player could come up soon.
Between songs the conductor would pick up the microphone and explain the next song they would play. I wouldn't be surprised if his job was as a high school band teacher.
The concert lasted an hour and ended at 8:30 pm. I was able to ride my bicycle home before it got too dark.
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