Star-Spangled Sunny Brook

Photo Courtesy of Lee Schultz

The Boyertown Alumni Band and Color Guard kicked off the Independence Day holiday week with a concert Sunday at SunnyBrook Ballroom.

Blogger's Note: The following information and photos were provided by the SunnyBrook Foundation and the Boyertown Alumni Band.

Photo Courtesy of the SunnyBrook Foundation

More than 250 people attended Sunday's patriotic concert.

An enthusiastic flag-waving crowd of more than 250 kicked of Pottstown’s 4th of July celebration at the Star-Spangled SunnyBrook Patriotic Concert on Sunday with the Boyertown Alumni Marching Unit. 

The music began with The National Game March by John Philip Sousa. The marches and songs
included pieces by Travis J. Weller, S.E Hummel, Richard Rodgers, and Irving Berlin among others.

Along with the John Philip Sousa marches the band performed some SunnyBrook favorites such as Glenn Miller Medleys and St. Louis Blue March.

The music rocked the historic ballroom as the marching unit’s Baton Twirlers, Color Guard, and Rifle Carriers, all dressed in red, white, and blue engaged the audience, by passing out American Flags to each audience member and then leading the crowd in singing patriotic song and waving their own Star-Spangled Banner. 

Photo Courtesy of Lee Schultz of Boyertown

Pottstown Mayor Sharon Thomas welcomes the crowd.

Pottstown Mayor Sharon Thomas welcomed guests and the Boyertown Alumni Marching Unit on behalf of Pottstown and expressed appreciation to the Marching Unit and the SunnyBrook Foundation for holding the event that kicked off the celebration of the birthday of the United States in the tri-county area.

During the United Services Medley, arranged by Arlen R Saylor, a friend of SunnyBrook, soldiers, sailors, airmen, coast guardsmen, and Marines were asked to stand and be appreciated by the audience as the march of each branch of service was played.

Also during The United Services Salute, the bandfront presented the five flags honoring each branch
of the military.

The concert ended with the Alumni Unit's signature song Saints in Concert.

The event, which began with picnic food served in SunnyBrook’s Pavilion, drew a number of classic and vintage cars ended as the band front brought the colors “American Flag” and other ornamental flags off the ballroom floor to Bill Moffit’s Saint in Concert.

Photo Courtesy of Lee Schultz

The flags of the five branches of the armed services were presented 

during the Arlen Saylor arrangement of the U.S. Services Medley.

“When I come to something like this, where the community is together, I am glad that I am to be a member of the SunnyBrook’s Board and support the community this way,” said Dave Brown of Boyertown, a member of the SunnyBrook Foundation Board of Directors.

J. Wilmer Hallman, president of the SunnyBrook Foundation said, “we hope this can be a tradition for our community. That we can begin our 4th of July celebration an event like this here at SunnyBrook and complete with a celebration at Memorial Park.” Hallman indicated that plans for next year are already underway.