BETHANY BEACH — The 2017 Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral will be celebrated on Labor Day Monday Sept. 4 with activities beginning about 5:30 p.m. at the north end of the Bethany Beach Boardwalk. The event is family-friendly, free to the public, and all who attend are encouraged participate in the event, according to Carolyn Bacon and Marie Wright, the assistant chairpersons of this year’s Jazz Funeral events.
At the Jazz Funeral, spectators go to the Bethany Beach Boardwalk on Labor Day Monday and can join in a funeral procession of mourners, along with the combined forces of three Dixieland Jazz Bands, that carry a casket with a mannequin representing “Summer of 2017” to its final resting place at the Boardwalk Bandstand.
The Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral is one of only a few events in the country where all participants are able and encouraged to join in the event, in this case, the funeral procession, according to assistant chairperson Bacon.
“Being able to shed a few tears for ‘Dearly Departed Summer’ is the only requirement for those who join the procession,” Bacon said. “Visitors and locals of all ages are invited to join in the procession and have as much fun as they want at the Jazz Funeral. We invite those who attend to dress up in their favorite costumes and have a great time.”
The Town of Bethany Beach experiences a dramatic spike in summer tourism beginning with the Memorial Day weekend and continuing on until Labor Day. After Labor Day weekend, there is a dramatic departure of the summer visitor population many of whom return home to help prepare their children for the new school year.
For the past 32 summer seasons, the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral has been held to celebrate the season’s end and to help the local residents ease back to the slower pace of year-round living in the part of the state aptly referred to as “slower, lower Delaware.”
It is a fact that only two localities in the country regularly host and embrace the Jazz Funeral tradition as their own. Many miles separate these two, but these completely different localities do share the same unusual and entertaining tradition. The two different towns are New Orleans and Bethany Beach. Their shared tradition is the Jazz Funeral, according to longtime area resident and original Jazz Funeral veteran Kirk Rankin.
“The idea of the Jazz Funeral in Bethany Beach was originated by Moss Wagner,” said Rankin. “For many years, Moss owned and operated the Bethany Beach Ice Cream Parlor on Garfield Parkway and later Moss Boss Ice Cream Shop on Atlantic Ave. He was also a member of the Bethany Beach Town Council who was known for his innovative ideas.”
While this year’s Jazz Funeral will be held on Labor Day Monday, Sept. 4 with activities beginning around 5:30 p.m. at the north end of the Bethany Beach Boardwalk, the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral Silent Auction is held on the Friday afternoon before Labor Day on Sept. 1 as a kickoff to the Labor Day weekend.
The Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral Silent Auction will be held from 3:15-4:30 p.m. at Bethany Blues Restaurant to honor the Delmarva Chapter of the American Red Cross. All funds raised go directly to the Red Cross. Bethany Blues, located at 6 North Pennsylvania Avenue, has hosted the Jazz Funeral Silent Auction for all of its 12-year history and has been central to the event’s wide appeal.
Jazz Funeral Chairperson Paul Jankovic noted that all Jazz Funeral committee people were in favor of honoring the American Red Cross well before the current flooding of the greater Houston, Texas area that has dramatized the importance of aid provided by the Red Cross.
“Many people do not realize how vital the America Red Cross is until tragedy strikes,” Jankovic said. “The news coverage of the difficulties encountered by Houston area resident also includes images of the aid provide by the American Red Cross. Volunteer members of local units of the Red Cross from all parts of the nation (including the local Delmarva Red Cross) are already in Houston. Even more volunteers are on their way to provide aid and comfort to the thousands of homeless and displaced families. It is predicted that Red Cross volunteers will be on site in the Houston area for quite some time.”
The Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral Silent Auction benefits five highly-regarded charities with strong local affiliations on a rotating basis, according to Jankovic. These charities are the Sussex County Habitat for Humanity, the American Cancer Society with their Relay For Life® program, the American Red Cross, and the Audubon Society represented by the Delaware Audubon Society and the Chesapeake Audubon Society.
“The Jazz Funeral is our universal end-of-season celebration,” Jankovic said. “This Labor Day weekend is also our time to thank all those who have visited with us during the summer of 2017 and encourage them to return again in 2018.”
