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A Weekend of Celebrating!

  • Published
  • By By Chief Master Sgt. Jenn Pagnard and Technical Sgt. Mandi Harper
Washington, D.C. --  This past weekend was another busy one for The U.S. Air Force Band as we celebrated the 200th anniversary of the "Star-Spangled Banner" at 6 events across the national capital region. Francis Scott Key penned the poem "Defence of Fort McHenry" on Sept. 14, 1814. Set to the 18th century popular tune "To Anacreon in Heaven," this poem would become our national anthem thanks to a political cartoon by Robert L. Ripley of "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" which pointed out that we had no anthem. Outraged Americans wrote five million letters to Congress demanding they proclaim a national anthem. And so, on March 3, 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed an act declaring the "Star-Spangled Banner" as our official national anthem.

Both the entire Airmen of Note and the Note's Jazz Sextet celebrated the anniversary with enthusiastic crowds on Sept. 12-14 at National Harbor's Waterfront Plaza Stage. National Harbor is located on the shores of the Potomac River in Maryland, just south of Washington, D.C. It boasts a wide variety of shopping, dining, live performances, water activities, a carousel, and a towering observation wheel. The weather was beautiful as well, with only one concert cancelled due to rain. (We'll catch you next time Celtic Aire!)

On the actual anniversary, Sept. 14, the Brass Quintet from the Ceremonial Brass performed 3, 22-minute sets at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Flag Hall for thousands of visitors. The Concert Band, conducted by Col. Larry Lang, rounded out the weekend with a concert featuring saxophone soloist, Technical Sgt. Ricky Parrell performing Sammy Nestico's "Persuasion" and a medley of tunes from "Guys and Dolls" arranged by Master Sgt. Alan Baylock that highlighted the talents of a Singing Sergeants quintet.

All in all it was a wonderful weekend to celebrate this important milestone in our nation's history. It also culminated a successful summer series with more than 136 concerts for nearly 300,000 audience members. As some of the Band's ensembles prepare for upcoming tours and others focus on performances throughout metropolitan Washington, D.C., the busy holiday season is just around the corner. More information about the Band's December events will soon be posted on our web calendar.