Wadsworth Community Band plays its first concert of the summer

SEVILLE — More than 100 people listened to the Wadsworth Community Band play a variety of songs during the band's first concert of the summer at Buffalo Creek Retreat on Sunday. The Wadsworth Community Band has about 70 adult musicians who have varying levels of musical experience. Conductor Pat Santelli said this year was around the sixth year that the band has performed at Buffalo Creek Retreat. The band performed songs including "The Liberty Bell March" and "The Sound of Music" on Sunday. "We're trying to put on the best possible music that we can and try to make our programs so that we can attract larger audiences," he said. The Wadsworth Community Band connects people from different backgrounds, Santelli said. The youngest member is in their twenties and the oldest member is in their eighties. Some members have had a career as professional musicians, while others have less experience. "If you play alongside really good musicians, you raise your game," he said. "You want to work harder to be better, and the better you get, the more fun you have. The more fun you have, the harder you want to work, so it comes full circle." The band will also be playing at the Blue Tip Festival on June 24 at 7 p.m. and will be performing songs from Broadway musicals. Then on July 3, the group will have a patriotic-themed concert at the Wadsworth Central Intermediate School at 7 p.m. The audience will play a more active role at the July 3 concert. "We asked the audience to be our fireworks," Santelli said. "We have, I believe, 850 paper bags, and before we play the 1812 overture, we are going to ask people to blow up and hold on to them. Near the end of the song, where the cannons would ordinarily fire, we will have people cued as to when to explode their paper bags." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.