MELROSE –– The Mt. Hood Park Association held its 38th annual July 4th concert on Friday at Mount Hood Memorial Park & Golf Course in front of the beautiful and rustic clubhouse. The weather was perfect under sunny skies with the largest crowd ever in the history of this concert. Many hundreds of families, adults and children were treated to a musical mix of both patriotic and show tunes provided by the Middlesex Concert Band of Wakefield under the direction of conductor Mark E. Olson who is also the Director of Bands at Harvard University and is an accomplished trumpet player himself.
This concert was supported, in part by a grant from the Melrose Cultural Council. We also would like to thank the following organizations for their help and support: free popcorn, cookies and lemonade for the children was provided by Sagamore Golf, Inc.; Hillside Press of Melrose provided the programs; and the Melrose Park Commission and Park Department for their logistical support of the event.
Myron Dittmer, Association President, in his opening remarks noted that the concert was dedicated to Joan Bell, former Superintendent of Mount Hood and Open Space for 17 years. After retiring in the fall of 2024, Joan suddenly passed away in February this year. The Association also honored her at their Senior’s Day at the park event in May by presenting her family with an In Memoriam plaque.
Dittmer, an Army veteran, also noted that this year we are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the US Army which was formed on June 14, 1775 by the 2nd Continental Congress, one year before we declared our independence from Great Britain. Since 1775, 1.2 million service members have been killed, the largest number during our Civil War while 41 million have served in the military. The US Army Creed is, “I serve the people of the United States and live the Army values. I will always place the mission first, I will never accept defeat, I will never quit.”
The Association continued the tradition of ending the concert with “Stars and Stripes Forever” in which all children were given American flags while marching around the venue happily waving their flags and celebrating our independence.
The Mt. Hood Park Association is dedicated to the protection, preservation and promotion of Mount Hood Memorial Park. To learn more about the Association, please visit our recently renovated web site at mthoodpa.com.