Norwood’s 3 Concert Series Please All-June 25, 2005

Trio of Outdoor Musical Traditions Set to Fill Town Center with Eclectic Summer Melodies

But Norwood has taken this tradition to the extreme. The town has hosted not one, not two, but three outdoor summer concert series each year for more than a decade, satisfying even the most peculiar musical palate with everything from swing and pop to carillon bells. With three concerts to choose from each week, town officials keep the crowds coming back for more by offering an eclectic array of music groups.

The three structural pillars of Norwood‘s summer music scene include:

• Concerts on the Common: A Sunday evening program featuring performances by large bands with up to 40 members, which kicked off its 12th season last week with a Father’s Day performance by Saint Alfio’s Band of Lawrence.
• Carillon Concerts on the Common: A Monday evening tradition showcasing the town’s historic bells, which is slated to begin its 2005 season next week.
• Summerfest: A Wednesday evening program aimed at younger crowds with smaller bands, which marks the town’s oldest series—going back nearly 25 years. It will begin its 2005 season on July 6 on the Town Hall lawn.

“To have something like that, I think, is tremendous,” said Chris Larson, co-chair of the Norwood Cultural Council. “You bring your picnic blanket and your lawn chair out, the music is fun and it’s just a great way to develop community spirit.” The concerts consistently draw crowds of 200 to 500 people if the weather is good, said Debbie Melcher, an administrative assistant at Town Hall. “Everybody from the community gets together and goes to them,” said Debbie Melcher. “The town of Norwood is a very close-knit community.” Sal Erna, the band director for Saint Alfio’s Band, said he appreciates the enthusiastic crowds that have attended the group’s performances in Norwood over the last five years. “Whether it’s a small crowd or a big crowd, they applaud, they shake my hand,” Sal Erna said. “The fact that at break time, intermission, they come up to me, is a big deal. It’s always nice to hear something positive.”

The three series receive monetary contributions from the town but are financed primarily through private donations, noted Assistant General Manager Bernard Cooper. Summerfest, the pioneer of the town’s modern musical layout, was originally founded by Norwood resident A. Franklin Swift, who secured an initial grant that completely underwrote the first three years of the program when it began in the 1970s. For the 2005 season, the town provided a localized funding pool of $7,500 to support the series.

Meanwhile, the carillon concert series, which receives a portion of its operations funding from the Norwood Cultural Council, remains one of the community’s primary physical heirlooms. The carillon itself, a massive musical mechanism featuring 53 tuned bells, was originally a gift to the municipality from the late Walter F. Tilton, a former selectman. Intricately installed inside Norwood‘s grand Memorial Tower back in 1928, the instrument stands as one of only 200 true carillons existing across North America. “I think it’s invaluable,” Chris Larson emphasized. “There aren’t many towns that actually have carillons. It’s truly one of those lost arts, plus it’s so unique to our town that it really kind of sets us apart

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger