Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Photograph by George Sakkestad

The San Jose Wind Symphony rehearses in the Los Gatos High School auditorium for the Fourth of July concert on the school lawn.

Los Gatos will have a blast this July 4th

By Suzy Ramirez

The San Jose Wind Symphony will celebrate the Fourth of July with a concert at 1:30 p.m. on the front lawn of Los Gatos High School. The July 4 concert is part of the summertime Music in the Plaza series presented by the Los Gatos Arts Commission.

The patriotic musical extravaganza will be preceded by a barbecue beginning at noon. The Los Gatos High School Band Boosters will be selling tickets for the barbecue before the concert. Families may also bring their own picnic lunches.

Darrell Johnston and Dr. Janet Averett--a San Jose State University professor--will serve at the third annual event as co-conductors of the symphony. Guests for the finale, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, are members of the handbell choirs from Los Gatos Presbyterian Church and the James River Squadron of the National Civil War Association.

The squadron will set off "Josie," a three-pound artillery piece, at approximately 3:15 p.m., adding a real blast to the thundering finale.

According to coordinator Dale Chambers, the concert is an old-fashioned town event, and families of all ages are encouraged to attend the music on the green. Almost 2,000 members of the community are expected to attend this celebration.

The James River Squadron, under the command of 2nd Lt. Lloyd Glassbrook, CSMC, is a unit of the National Civil War Association, one of the largest organized Civil War re-enactment groups in the country.

The squadron consists of 20 sailors and marines in the Confederate States Navy, almost all veterans or currently serving members of the United States military services. The unit portrays the men of the C.S.S. Richmond, an ironclad of the squadron, as they fought ashore with Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.

Los Gatos Presbyterian Church's handbell program, directed by Norma Rose and assisted by Gene Slaght, has been around for more than eight years. The program features a bell choir for high school students and two for adults.

The concert is a warm-up for associate conductor Averett and the San Jose Wind Symphony's upcoming trip to Austria and Switzerland. The symphony is one of three American adult bands selected to perform at the international conference of the World Association of Symphonic Band Ensembles in Schmadming, Austria, on July 10. The group will perform a second time in Davos, Switzerland, on July 13.

Sponsors of the concert and barbecue include the Los Gatos Arts Commission, parents of Los Gatos High School Band members and LGHS Principal Ted Simonson. For more information, call 927-7507 or visit the Web site at http://www.inlancom.com/SJWS.

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