Bethany Beach’s annual jazz funeral will go on this year, with a few changes.
The tradition, stretching back some four decades, has been a fixture in the beach town, serving as a way for locals to say farewell to the busy summer season, anchored by a traditional New Orleans-style second line band.
But the parade’s future was in doubt this year after the death of its main organizer, Paul Jankovic. At a town council meeting in July, Town Manager Cliff Graviet announced that the show would go on under the auspices of the town and organized by its Events Director Julie Malewski.
At the most recent town council meeting, Malewski gave an update on the parade, and a couple of changes to the event. Most notably, she said, the focus won’t just be on saying goodbye to summer. Instead, the town will bid summer farewell and say hello to a new season - one that still sees activity in the town.
“We no longer shut down after Labor Day, which you all know. We continue,” Malewski said. “So we are also then going from the funeral, sad march down the boardwalk, a New Orleans style, to a happy introduction of the second season.”
That choice has proven to be popular with business owners, she said.
“So far I've heard from 20 and they're loving the idea and it's just going to help them thrive and the whole town thrive,” Malewski told council members.
Another change this year is the beneficiary of the event. While previous jazz funerals have benefitted the Red Cross, this year’s parade will help out the Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Company, which is selling t-shirts for the event.
Malewski said that many people who have volunteered for the parade in the past have signed on to help with this year’s festivities.
The jazz parade is Monday, September 7 at 5:30 pm. It caps off a weekend of events, including concerts at the town’s bandstand, a fireworks show, and a drone and fireworks show.
Delaware Public Media's arts coverage is made possible, in part, by support from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
