9/3/2012 Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral

(Bethany Beach, DE)

Due to a HUGE amount of photos for this post I am going to break it down into two posts.)

Today I got to do something I have wanted to do for years!  I was finally able to attend the end of summer Jazz Funeral on the Bethany Beach boardwalk.  In years past when we were at the beach for the Labor Day weekend we had to leave early in the day on Monday because we had to go back to work on Tuesday or we were in the Outer Banks, North Carolina.  Not this year!

My neighbor and fellow workamper, and of course now friend, Sue, and I decided we would go and pay our final respects to the Summer of 2012.

There sure weren’t many on the beach this late afternoon.



This was the 27th summer send off here in Bethany Beach.  The funeral got its start in 1985, when a few Bethany merchants decided to mark the end of summer with a jazz funeral and a small party.  From those humble beginnings the jazz funeral now has participants that number in the hundreds.

The funeral was to start at 5:30 and at three we were having a downpour.  We kept our eyes on the local radar on our computers willing the storms to pass through quickly.  At four, the rain had stopped and we decided to head to the boardwalk to secure a parking space and to walk through some of the shops while waiting.

We practically cheered when the sun broke through the clouds.

At ten to five we wondered if anyone was coming.

By five-fifteen the crowd was starting to gather.



The boardwalk was getting to be lined with mourners.

The walkway closest to us, over the dune to the beach, was filled with more mourners.



Yes, indeedy, a wonderful send off for this summer of 2012.

Eye candy.

Five thirty came and went.  No mournful music, no crying and wailing.  On a happy note we had patches of blue sky and the sun was out.



The lifeguards left their chairs, it was official, summer is over.



More eye candy.  There can never, ever be too much eye candy.

At quarter to six the crowd was at its max I would say.

Finally, the first mournful notes from the jazz musicians was heard.  The jazz funeral had started.

First came the twenty or so musicians, playing their trumpets, clarinets, trombones and a tuba. They walked slowly down the boardwalk as one would in a funeral procession.



Dozens of people snapped pictures as they made their way down the boardwalk.



I thought I even saw a tear roll down this trumpeters cheek.

Now I have to be honest here, I didn’t quite understand some of the costumes. 

 I didn’t quite get these either.  I guess this is the latest in jazz funeral wear.



Next came the tombstone which will be placed somewhere.  Probably in someone garage or basement until next August when it will come again to have the dates changed.

Next came the casket.  Accompanying the casket, carrying our dearly departed season was Sister Mary Catherine Summer.

Following the casket were the mourners.  Crying and wailing.  Crying and wailing.

Now these next mourners, eh, they aren’t so sad.  You see, they live here year round and they are glad summer is over.  They will now get their roads back, there won’t be lines at the grocery store until next summer, they’ll be able to get doctor appointments without a problem and get to enjoy the beaches without the hassle of the summer people.  Don’t get me wrong, they like the summer people and the millions of dollars they spend over the course of a summer, but like any company, the welcome gets worn out.



The funeral procession lasted all of fifteen, twenty minutes but the event isn’t over yet!

Here’s a picture I took from the walkway that crosses the dune to the beach where I’m headed.  Stay tuned to find out what is happening on the beach.