If you were near the Holland Christian Home on just the right Tuesday evenings this summer, you would have heard music carried on the warm breezes, as the Home hosted Summer Nights at the Gazebo, a free series of outdoor concerts.
The idea for the concerts was tested last summer, when the Brass Works Quintet played the very first concert for over 50 residents. The event was such a success that the Home expanded the concert to a series this summer, featuring a variety of musical groups and styles.
In June, the Ridgewood Cavaliers of Harmony barely finished their welcoming number when a warm summer rain started to fall. Quick work by the staff made for an efficient relocation to the Chapel, where the Cavaliers resumed and charmed the crowd with a wide variety of barbershop music and witty banter. In July, the weather cooperated, and concert-goers were treated to the Roy Meyer Swingers, who sang big band era standards until sunset. August obliged with a not-too-hot evening, perfect for the cool sounds of the keyboard, trumpet and saxophone trio Cornucopia. The series closed on September 14, fittingly, with the group that started it all. Brass Works Quintet played everything from marches to hymns as duck fell and the gazebo lights came on.
The free concerts were a joy to the many residents who attended. They were also a unique opportunity for the Home to reach out into the community. Each concert drew well over 100 residents and guests, including families from the neighborhood who followed the music to our gazebo.
