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Thursday, May 21, 1998
A concert in memory of friends

By Adelaide Janes
Eagle-Tribune Writer

WEST NEWBURY - ''You'll Never Walk Alone.''

Three-year-old Adam T. Schickling, son of Erik J. and Kim of Atkinson, N.H., blows into the sousaphone mouthpiece belonging to sousaphone musician and West Newbury Fire Chief Raymond ''Rock'' Dower, a member of the West Newbury Veteran Firemen's Association Marching Band. Adam, whose mother owns the The Olde Combe Shoppe on Main Street in West Newbury got this lesson after the concert, held to dedicate the new community bandstand. Chief Dower was one of the founding members of the band, started in 1964.
In playing this song during last night's Community Bandstand dedication concert, the Veteran Firemen's Association Band paid tribute to a person who gave much assistance through the years, although he never played in the band.

In introducing the selection, conductor Karen Franson spoke of last week's death of David Poore as a great loss to the band.

Mr. Poore's daughters Theresa and Joan are members of the band, Mrs. Franson said, and his wife Peggy is treasurer.

Another dedication was to the ''King of the Hill,'' the late Frank Sinatra. With the playing of ''New York, New York'' and ''Love and Marriage,'' the band paid tribute to the popular singer who was a force in American music for six decades.

Solos in the varied program were by Paul Eby on trombone in ''Teddy Trombone,'' Nick Costa of Groveland on trumpet in ''Over The Rainbow,'' and Gordon Blaney, an eighth-grade Middle School student, on trumpet in ''Moon River.''

Bandstand Committee Chairman David Cook recognized -- with praise and appreciation -- the builders and contributors who made the bandstand possible. The costs of the bandstand were all privately raised.

''Your pride of workmanship and civic generosity are the essence of smalltown America,'' he said. ''Long may those virtues endure.''

Mr. Cook announced the Pentucket Regional High band will play a concert at the bandstand on June 10. The VFA band will give another concert on August 26 and the Haverhill Swing Band is set to perform on September 2.