Concert Band Will Play for Its Bandstand

For 22 years, the Huntington Beach Concert Band often has ended its performances stuck in the mud.

Without a bandstand, musicians must place chairs and music stands directly on the turf of Central Park, their home stage. But the band hopes to rise above the problem soon, starting with this weekend’s fund-raiser for the Central Park Bandstand Project.

“A bandstand will make it easier to perform,” said trumpeter Lloyd Glick, 72, who has managed the 60-member concert band for 21 years.

“I won’t have to worry about my music stand blowing over or my chair sinking into the grass. On some of these concerts, the back legs of the chairs sink into the ground and you end up looking up at the sky.”

A Louisiana-style barbecue is planned for Saturdayat the city’s historic Newland House on Adams Avenue and Beach Boulevard, from 2 to 6 p.m. The event is sponsored by Friends and Neighbors of Seacliff, a 3-year-old, nonprofit community group that is donating $5,000 toward the estimated $60,000 cost of the project.

The bandstand is planned for the same site where concerts are currently held, near the Huntington Beach Library at Golden West Street and Talbert Avenue.

The city waived all fees for the project and architectural drawings were donated by NUVIS, a Costa Mesa landscape design firm.

The completed bandstand will be available for use by numerous community organizations, at the discretion of the city’s Community Service Department, said Connie Young, executive director of the Seacliff community organization.

The Huntington Beach Concert Band will perform at the Saturday event, which will include a magic show and door prizes. Information: (714) 969-8846.