THE - 2014 - BAND - NEWS





THE ALEPPO TEMPLE (AAONMS)
SHRINE ORIENTAL BAND NEWS FOR THE YEAR 2014


CELEBRATING OUR 63rd YEAR



The above is the official logo of the Aleppo Temple (AAONMS) Oriental Band.


ALEPPO 2014 POTENTATE
RICHARD DOHERTY


RATHER THAN BE REPETITIOUS, BELOW PLEASE FIND THE LINK TO THE VIDEOS WE HAVE POSTED AND WILL BE POSTING TO YOUTUBE. THIS WILL BE THE ONLY INCLUSION OF THIS LINK FOR THE YEAR. PLEASE RETURN TO THE LINK AND THE YOUTUBE SITE OCCASIONALLY TO VIEW UPDATED MATERIAL. ENJOY.

SEE THE BAND PERFORMING VARIOUS TUNES IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS BY CLICKING HERE (THIS IS OUR OFFICIAL YOUTUBE SITE - TURN OFF THE MUSIC ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PAGE FIRST)

Our winter sabbaticals have, of late, been punctuated with sad events and occurrences and this year was no exception. On January 8, 2014, notice was received that the Black Camel had visited the RICHARDS oasis on January 5, 2014 and had taken ELEANOR RICHARDS, the wife of BAND MEMBER, AL RICHARDS, to the ETERNAL ORIENTAL BAND OASIS. Eleanor was a charming and enjoyable lady who, in recent years had valiantly struggled against repeated maladies. She was a joy to be with at those outings she attended and she will be missed by all who knew her.

Following our Winter/Holiday recess, on January 9, 2014 we began our SIXTY-THIRD YEAR as a Unit. After some time away from our efforts we came back in form and had a good first practice session for the year in anticipation of preparing for the January 25, 2014 Installation Ceremonial and the rest of the year.

On January 10th and 11th, 2014 various Members of the Band attended the activities held on behalf of ELEANOR RICHARDS to wish her a final farewell and to extend our condolences to her family on their loss.

On January 25, 2014, a good turnout of Members participated in the ANNUAL ALEPPO INSTALLATION CEREMONIAL. The occasion marked the official end of BAND MEMBER, DENNIS REEBEL's year as Potentate. Everyone in attendance agreed that DENNIS did a commendable job throughout his year as Potentate and had earned the right to wear his Past Potentate Fez proudly. We are proud that DENNIS was acknowledged in that fashion and are hopeful that we will be seeing more of him around the Band Room and at some of our events. At the same time, we congratulate all who are on the new Divan and look forward to working with them.

We note with considerable and sincere disappointment and sadness the recent limitation of business of the Aleppo Brass Band. The Brass Band had been struggling over the last few years but still valiantly made efforts to attend and participate in many of the Aleppo events and did a very credible and enjoyable job when they did perform. Events and Parades simply will not be the same without them and they will be missed. We would also like to take the opportunity to thank the Brass Band for their many enjoyable past performances and would also like to reach out to any Members who would like to continue their Shrine Musical careers and ask them to consider joining our Merry Band of Nomads. Just as the Brass Band sought to and did provide quality performances, we too try to produce a high quality performance and do not compromise in our efforts to do so; we are a fun group to be with; and we think we might be able to provide a nice alternative for you to consider to further your musical efforts. Our doors remain open to all who would like to consider the prospect and we will even overlook the fact that you may know how to properly play a musical instrument and read music and are able to do both at the same time.

On April 21, 2014, a modest sized BAND participated in the Arlington, Massachusetts Patriots Day Parade commemorating the events surrounding the Battles of Lexington, Massachusetts and Concord, Massachusetts which were amongst the first skirmishes of the American Revolutionary War. Arlington lies along the path from Boston to Lexington and Concord and as the British Redcoats made their way to Concord to confiscate some munitions, they were met with resistance along the way including sporadic encounters in Arlington culminating in the more concerted encounters experienced in Lexington and Concord. The Holiday and the way it is celebrated is a unique way to see history come to life as the many reenactments done during the day tend to be fairly accurate in their portrayals. The day was a nice but rather crisp and chilly one and, for some reason the Parade stepped off earlier than usual at 9:30 AM and that added to the chill in the air and the modest but enthusiastic crowd that watched from the sidelines. Despite that, everyone enjoyed the Parade and our performance. We believe that we added something to everyone's observances for the day and it was our pleasure to do so.

On April 24, 2014 word was received that the BLACK CAMEL had taken a friend of the BAND, Robert S. (SKIP) Trahey to the ETERNAL SHRINE. SKIP was the Photographer for Aleppo and spent considerable time in its building working and volunteering on any number of projects. SKIP was an affable and friendly person who occasionally would join us for our rehearsals. We occasionally tried to get him to join the BAND but were unsuccessful in doing so. SKIP will be missed by all who knew him.

On May 25, 2014, despite ominous weather predictions (which did not materialize), a large BAND participated in the Somerville, Massachusetts Memorial Day Parade and put on a spectacular performance. Though the weather predictions kept the sidelines emptier than usual, those in attendance made up for it all with their enthusiasm and appreciation. We believe that we added something special to the Parade and that all enjoyed our performance.

On May 26, 2014, another large BAND participated in the Wilmington, Massachusetts Memorial Day Parade. Weather predictions for this day were for an exceptional day weather-wise, but some of the rain predicted for the previous day managed to sneak its way into the picture but only slightly so. Our performance was another good one and we believe that everyone enjoyed it. Along the way, we noted some new dancing talent and we are always appreciative of and are on the lookout for that. The crowd was not deterred by the drizzle and there was good turnout who were generally enthusiastic and responsive. Again, we feel that our performance was quite good and that it lent something to the Parade.

On June 7, 2014, a good turnout of Members participated in the Annual Angus Steak Barbecue Ceremonial at the Aleppo Shrine Building in Wilmington, Massachusetts. Due the limitations being faced by the Brass Band, we had been requested to additionally perform during the lunchtime interlude along with the Pipe (as in bagpipe) Band. The prospect of Oriental and Scottish music being combined into one concert was a frightening prospect. But, surprisingly, it all went quite well and everyone in attendance appreciated it. We suspect that we will be called upon to do similar duty in the future and now look forward to it without any qualms. We do, nonetheless, hope that the Brass Band will eventually resume these duties or join with us and the Pipe Band for future such performances. During the Ceremonial, a new Member of the Shrine approached several current Members about the prospect of joining the Band and we look forward to that eventually happening.

On June 12, 2014, NOBLE ULYSSES W. SALLUM, was welcomed into the BAND as it's newest Member. We are looking forward to his participation with us.

On June 17, 2014, a reading of the MAY, 2014 NA KHABAR (a publication of ASOB - the national Oriental Band Organization) informed us of the passing away of GLENDA MOORES, wife of Past ASOB President, NOBLE DONALD MOORES from Amara Shrine and mother of NOBLE JEFFREY MOORES from Melha Shrine. GLENDA was well known to some in our BAND and was a joy to know. She will be missed by those who knew her.

On August 3, 2014, a large contingent of Band Members made its way to New Bedford, Massachusetts to participate in their Portuguese Festival Parade. Logistics for the day were a bit unique as an event was being held at our Shrine Building which precluded our parking in our normal spots and our utilizing our Band Room for dressing or supply purposes. Instead we were required to rendezvous in a lot that was a short distance from the building and all went well much to the credit of those who coordinated the efforts for the day. The day also marked the first Parade for our newest Member, ULYSSES SALLUM. Ulysses has taken to the musette as if he was born with one in his mouth and, despite his short tenure with us so far, has managed to learn some of the tunes that are always a part of our parade routine and he performed them quite well. We are anxiously looking forward to seeing what is to come of his abilities after he learns the entire routine - which we expect will be done in record time. Weather predictions for the day were ominous and as we waited to board the bus to go to the Parade, it was sprinkling a bit - but that was less than expected. So we piled into the bus and sat back and enjoyed our trip to New Bedford. There must be something that we have done in the past year or so to the weather deities because we seem to attract storms wherever we go and, though the trip down was pleasant enough and the wait to get underway was equally reasonable, about half way through the Parade, a steady rain made life unpleasant but did not discourage us, our performance or the enthusiasm of the crowd. We are beginning to believe that we are like the character in the old Al Capp cartoon, LIL ABNER, who went around with a cloud hanging over him constantly. The crowd came out for a good time and we like to think that we helped them achieve that. Everyone was there from Prince Henry, The Navigator, and his Society to Miss Massachusetts and a host of politicians (yes, it is another election year in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts). And their spirit made the weather a non-factor. Numerous, enthusiastic spectators cheering you on always makes for a good Parade and this one was no exception. At one point in the Parade, we took a break only to be cheered on by the call of "MUSIC MUSIC" from the crowd. And when we complied they actually cheered and danced to the tunes. Along the way we noted a lot of dancing talent of all ages - perhaps the cutest being a very young girl (probably about 3 or 4) putting in her performance for the day - it was adorable and inspirational to see and performances and response like that are some of the reasons we so enjoy doing this Parade. By the end of the Parade, we were soaked, but no one seemed to mind as we received a very warm and heartfelt response along the way and at the end as well and they were very sincere gestures as well. The crowd was happy to see us and appreciated our performance and we were happy to be there and add something to their enjoyment of the Day and we think we definitely did that. New Bedford is a relatively old City with many tight and winding streets which are not conducive to the size of our float so we are constantly warned to not take some of the roads at the end of the Parade - but our driver for the day (not our regular driver) either did not get the message or ignored it and we wound up spending about half an hour at the end of the Parade trying to negotiate a very tight turn - it wasn't pretty but our spirits were high and we took it all in stride and eventually prevailed. We are determined to make sure that any future driver for this Parade will be better informed and compliant with the information.

CALL US ISHMAEL - (ESSENTIALLY THUS BEGINS THE STORY OF MOBY DICK)
ERIC HOLT (L) AND ULYSSES SALLUM (R) ENJOYING THE TRIP DOWN TO NEW BEDFORD


PRINCE HENRY, THE NAVIGATOR (L)
DISCUSSING STRATEGY WITH A MEMBER OF HIS SOCIETY (WITH ANOTHER LOOKING ON)

On August 16, 2014 our ANNUAL SUMMER GET TOGETHER was held at the facilities of BAND MEMBER JAMES HARVEY. Over the past several years, we have been floundering about trying to find a good location that would work for everyone and BAND MEMBER JIM generously offered his facilities and it worked out very well. Not only were the facilities good, but the catering for the event was superb and exceeded what we have been experiencing in the recent past. CHEF DU JOUR outdid himself for this event. He is someone well known to many of us who have used him for one purpose or another and we were confident that he would be able to handle this assignment well and he exceeded our expectations and put on a culinary display that easily went beyond what we have experienced over the past few years. How can you go wrong with 2 pound lobsters, clam chowder, vegetable salad, hamburgers, hot dogs, steamed clams, corn bread, corn on the cob, strawberry shortcake, potato salad, popcorn, and assorted beverages! No one was heard to complain. The event was highlighted by the presence of spouses and friends of BAND MEMBERS and several members of the HARVEY FAMILY who it was a joy to meet (now, if we can only talk some of them into joining the Band). Another highlight included our first opportunity to meet the family of BAND MEMBER ULYSSES SALLUM - whose four year old daughter stole the show. A good time was had by all and, though we do not want to impose on NOBLE JIM'S hospitality and generosity, we are hopeful that we will be able to repeat this performance at some future time.

HARVEY SIGN

OUR HOST FOR THE DAY - JIM HARVEY

(WITH RACHEL SALLUM IN THE LEFT BACKGROUND)

THE TENT

THE SPREAD

SPECIAL GUEST OF THE DAY

CHEF DU JOUR (JOHN AYOTTE) AND DENNIS REEBEL

(WITH ARTHUR FINK IN THE BACKGROUND)

AL RICHARDS

ROBERT AND LESLIE LEMERISE

RICHARD LEMERISE, SR.

DEBBIE AND DENNIS REEBEL

DEBBIE AND DENNIS REEBEL

(WITH JUDY FINK, ROBERT LEMERISE AND RICK LEMERISE, SR. TO THE LEFT
AND ULYSSES SALLUM AND HIS DAUGHTER TO THE RIGHT)

BOB GOODWIN

HENRIETTA AND BOB GOODWIN

BOB GOODWIN TAKING ON A LOBSTER

ARTHUR FINK AND JANICE SHORT

JUDY FINK AND TOM SHORT (LESLIE LEMERISE IN BACKGROUND)

TOM SHORT (L), JEANINE AND JON LAPOMARDO, AND DENNIS REEBEL

RACHEL SALLUM (STANDING) AND SHEILA HOLT

(WITH CHARLIE RIVERS AND HIS DAUGHTER, JOANNE, IN THE BACKGROUND
AND BOB GOODWIN IN THE FURTHER BACKGROUND)

LOUISE AND BOB HALEY

CHARLIE RIVERS AND HIS DAUGHTER, JOANNE

VIRGINIA SALLUM - STEALING THE SHOW

JIM HARVEY AT THE END OF THE DAY

On August 23rd, a modest size Band participated in the Northeast Shrine Association Oriental Band (NESOBA) Competition and Parade. Over the years, competition has dwindled significantly and we have argued that it might be better to dispense with it in deference to holding a joint Jamboree or Concert with any other attending Bands. Participation this year warranted such a course of action and the future may see more of it. Additional news from the NESOBA meeting that was held and presided over by our own Band Member and President of NESOBA, RON HENDERSON, included the election of Band Member, ERIC HOLT as First Vice President of NESOBA and the election of Band Member, JON LAPOMARDO as Secretary/Treasurer of NESOBA. We congratulate all on their respective elections. The team of ROBERT HALEY and JACK ZIMMERMAN, again, won the Duet Competition which was held and they returned the Maple Leaf Trophy to Band Room (where we hope it will eventually be retired) continuing the traditional of winning this award every year that we have competed for it. After the competition, we participated in the NSA Parade and had fun doing that though we were also disappointed with the location of the Parade and the sparse audience that was present.

On September 1st, we participated in the MARLBORO, MA. Labor Day Parade. It is another election year in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the politicians were out in droves. It is nice to, at least, see them doing something! As usual, the crowd was large and enthusiastic which is one of the reasons that we enjoy doing this Parade. We had a large turnout for the day as well and performed well. We believe that everyone enjoyed out performance and that it added something to the celebration of the day. Marlboro traditionally has some of the best dancers we see each year and they did not let us down this year either. Nothing eventful really happened this year and, once in a while, that is nice and it was something that we did enjoy. It was also nice to see many of the regular participants there again this year and be given the opportunity to renew friendships with them and be updated on their status.

After Marlboro, we participated in the 350th Anniversary Parade in DARTMOUTH, MA. on September 7, 2014. A good group of Band members all enjoyed the trip to Dartmouth but arriving some three hours before step-off and having to wait around for that period of time put a damper on what we had otherwise had reason to believe was going to be a well planned and executed event. Regrettably that did not turn out to be the case and, to cap it all off, our return trip was plagued by a bus that refused to start and which necessitated calling in a substitute bus which required a three hour wait to obtain. Lack of adequate refreshments at the end of the Parade made matters that much worse - but pizza, refreshments, and beverages that were made available upon our return to Wilmington went far to assuage matters. Our thanks are extended to the Potentate, Divan and Staff who made this possible.

Though we had a good turnout for the EVERETT, MA – Homecoming Parade on September 27, 2014, the Parade, itself, seemed a bit less well organized than usual and less attended to than usual as well. We, nonetheless, enjoyed the parade and did an exemplary performance which we hope was pleasing to all who did attend.

STEVE CAPPERS

Our October 2, 2014 rehearsal was graced with the presence of Band Member, STEVE CAPPERS (who came down from Maine). All enjoyed seeing Steve and being brought up to date on his doings since last we saw him. Suffice it to say, Steve has been kept fairly active in his recent retirement from work and, at the time, was looking forward to his wife's pending retirement and the opportunities that were to be presented by that. We Congratulate LINDA on her retirement and wish her and STEVE the best in all of their future endeavors (which we hope will continue to include involvement with the Band).

On October 5, 2014, a good turn out of Members gathered in Wilmington. MA. in anticipation of doing the ROSLINDALE, MA. Parade only to be informed that some difficulty with our float transportation precluded use of the float for the day. Had we known earlier we might have been able to put together a marching unit but, because we did not know earlier, we were unable to do so and had to, unfortunately, cancel our performance for the day.

On October 12, 2014, we concluded our Parading Season with our participation in the EAST BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - COLUMBUS DAY PARADE. Because repairs were being made to our regular float, arrangements were made with the BRASS BAND to use their float. We had done so in the past and had found that float to be adequate but a bit cramped and we had one of our larger turnouts scheduled for the Parade - so we were a bit concerned. We gathered at the Band Room and were informed that there were some difficulties with the Brass Band float and visions of a repeat of the previous week abounded. After considerable efforts, it was deemed that the float was good to go so we got on the bus and made the trip to East Boston. The driver of the bus took a rather novel route to get us there but we all enjoyed the ride. Upon arriving in East Boston, we began setting up the float and quickly realized that the float had some peculiarities that resulted in our being cramped on it because of the nature of the instruments we use and because of the large turn out for the day. We did manage to squeeze aboard and performed quite well and were appreciated by the audience. East Boston traditionally is one of the longer Parades that we do and the route remained unchanged this year. We all expected that - but the more than usual frequent stop and go nature of the Parade detracted from it. We do believe that everyone enjoyed our performance and we did enjoy doing the Parade. Political candidates were out in abundance. Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella made an appearance (without King Ferdinand) and the New World was safe for another year. Some Band Members also reported sightings of Santa Claus - a sign of things to come! Crisp Fall weather and an enthusiastic crowd that included some of the better dancers (male and female, young and old) that we have seen this year made for an enjoyable day. We thank the BRASS BAND for letting us use their float for the day and continue to hope that their efforts to revitalize themselves are on track.

ALL ABOARD THE BRASS BAND FLOAT I


ALL ABOARD THE BRASS BAND FLOAT II


CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS and QUEEN ISABELLA


THE WELLS FARGO WAGON


We will be holding our ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARTY at Angelica's Restaurant in Middleton, Massachusetts on December 7, 2014 - the same site as last year and one that we all enjoyed. Good food and good company will undoubtedly make this another enjoyable event for us.

This year our recruiting efforts have reached out in many directions. We tell every Member that any family member is a potential new or future member and that brought some young future members and a unique future member to our Band Room this year.

Noble Eric Holt's grandsons: Liam (the drummer) and Ryleigh Breen demonstrating their skills at a rehearsal with Jack Zimmerman looking on in approval

Noble Jack Zimmerman (right) with an unnamed friend preparing to head out to Marlboro.
(We were all left to wonder who the better performer might be! We are still debating that matter!)

OUR FUTURE PARADE/PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE (SO FAR) LOOKS LIKE THIS:

WE HAVE CONCLUDED OUR PARADE SEASON FOR THE YEAR.

COME OUT AND SEE US PERFORM NEXT YEAR - YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED.

There will undoubtedly be some additional Parades as our performance schedule continues to develop. Any changes will be posted.

ADDITIONAL NEWS WILL BE PROVIDED WHEN RECEIVED. CHECK BACK FREQUENTLY FOR UPDATES.




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