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 After the orchestra played the national anthem, orchestra leader
Laurie Lewis introduced a slate of patriotic songs starting with
"Grand Old Flag." Lewis next described the "amber waves of grain"
and "purple mountains' majesty," leading into a rendition of
"America the Beautiful," which was followed by her personal favorite
from the Civil War era, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."
Stating that this year marked the anniversaries of the end of two
different wars: World War II - 70 years and the Civil War - 150
years, Lewis asked any WWII veterans attending to stand. Don Fink
stood, later explaining that he fought in the Pacific and was with a
group hit by a kamikaze pilot.
 The songs presented from that era included "This is My Country,"
"American Anthem" from Ken Burn's documentary on World War II, and
"Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," a song made popular by the Andrews
Sisters.
During intermission the Lincoln Woman's Club sold delicious cakes
and ice cream including some decorated with red, white, and blue.
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Next, the orchestra played tunes from the various branches of service, and
people from each branch of service were asked to stand and be recognized for
their service.
To commemorate the Civil War's end, the orchestra performed several songs from
that era starting with a song called "Lincoln's address." In between sections of
the song, Tim Searby read Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address." Also from that era was
the popular tune "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" about soldiers going off to
war and not knowing if they were going to come home. They finished the section
with the song "The Civil War," from the PBS film of the same name, with Lewis
quipping, " I hope you enjoy the Civil War."
As the evening drew to a close, Lewis thanked all the sponsors and then
expressed appreciation to "25 of the most patient musicians who were awesome
throughout a season where two of their four concerts were rained out."
With a bright red sunset in the background, the orchestra performed three final
songs--Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA," John Philip Sousa's "Stars and
Stripes Forever," and Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" which Lewis noted that
Berlin reportedly wrote to thank the country that had taken him in.
At the end, the crowd gave the orchestra a standing ovation for the wonderful
music performance.
The LAMS orchestra and also the chorus resume practices this fall and perform a
holiday concert in December.
[Angela Reiners]
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