Oxford County Bicentennial Celebration

Music on the Hill
Saturday, June 11, 2005

Among the various attractions of the Grand Bicentennial Celebration to be held Friday through Sunday, June 10 - 12, on Paris Hill, will be performances by three talented and entertaining musical groups of Oxford County.  Each of the three groups has its own unique style, and we expect that listeners of every age and preference will enjoy the fare.  

The performers are:

The Mahoosuc Community Band, which draws its members from throughout the region, will provide music for the parade, which begins at 10:30 am just south of the Paris Hill Country Club and marches to the steps of the first Baptist Church.  After the parade, the band will play a few additional tunes in front of the church.  The Mahoosuc Community Band performs a varied concert schedule throughout the year.  It has members of all ages and from all walks of life.  The band plays a wide variety of music, including light jazz, easy listening, marches and even salsa.  New members are always welcome.

The White Mountain Boys, of Stow, Maine, will entertain between 1 and 2 pm on the lawn in front of the Paris Hill Academy building.  Jonathan Sarty and his band of White Mountain Boys are one of New England's finest shows to see.  Well established in the Mount Washington Valley and Lakes Region area, this versatile group of players incorporate their mountain sound into a well mixed blend of bluegrass, swing, rock, and rhythm and blues.  Their four-part harmonies compliment their strong stage presence.  Talented, good looking, and a whole bunch of fun, these boys are a great show to see and the way music should be.

The Bedard Trio is made up of three talented performers from Waterford, Maine.  Bill and Lona Bedard have been playing music together since they first met some 65 years ago.  Bill plays guitar, Lona piano, and the third member of the group, David Sanderson, plays fiddle, with all three taking part in the vocals.  The trio's repertoire runs the gamut of older tunes and songs, from fiddle tunes to old country songs to sentimental pieces Bill and Lona learned in the 1930s.  Besides rhythm guitar, Bill plays Hawaiian guitar in the old unamplified style, and preserves the art of whistling, once popular but now nearly lost.  The trio will perform between 2:30 and 3:30 pm on the lawn of the Academy building.