A group of area musicians is preparing to throw an old-fashioned New Year’s Eve party and raise some money for a good cause at the same time. And anyone who enjoys dancing or listening to the Big Band sounds of Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman or Duke Ellington is invited to help celebrate. The Route 55 Jazz Band, featuring several Annandale players, will recreate New Year’s Eve 1945 from 7 p.m. to midnight Friday, Dec. 31, at the historic Waverly Village Hall to benefit local music groups and school programs. ’40s fashions A nominal admission will be charged at the door, alcoholic and soft drinks and snacks will be available. There’ll be a dance contest, drawings and prizes, and people are encouraged to come in fashions from the 1940s. But the main attraction will be the melodious music of that decade and earlier played by the 17-member band, also known as the Maple Lake Community Jazz Band. Tunes like Miller’s "In the Mood," "Tuxedo Junction" and "Moonlight Serenade" will be on the play list, according to band member Zane Schaefer of Annandale, as well as "Little Brown Jug" and "Fly Me to the Moon." Singer Becky King of Maple Lake will perform songs like "Summertime" and "Beyond the Sea," he said. Band member Kendell Kubasch of Howard Lake, who’s unofficial coordinator of the party, said the band will also play a lot of Count Basie and Ellington music. The first set, from 8 to 9:30 p.m., will be devoted to music from 1945, 1944 and earlier, he said. The band will wrap things up at midnight with "Auld Lang Syne." According to Schaefer, the group chose 1945 because, like 2010, it was a time after the hardships of World War II when people were looking to the future with hope. Now, after the economic struggles of the past two years "we can see a glimmer of hope at least" that everything is getting better. It’s a good fit too because the swing music of that era is the biggest part of the band’s repertoire. Kubasch added the idea was to convey that, with the end of the Iraq War and with the economy improving, "times are getting better." The Waverly Village Hall, built in 1939 by the Works Progress Administration, is "exactly perfect" for the event, Kubasch said. "You walk in there and you feel you’re in 1944." It has high ceilings, huge arches, an oak bar and good acoustics for a big band. "It’s such a cool place." "It has the feel of that 1945 nostalgia," Schaefer added. The hall, on Fourth Street North between Atlantic and Elm avenues, is right across the railroad tracks as you come into town on U.S. Highway 12, he said. The party is the first event the band has ever held to raise money for music programs, Schaefer said. Arts and especially music programs are being cut back in area schools, including Annandale’s, because of the economy, the retired Annandale High School band director said. "They don’t have the funds to offer kids the experiences they did just a few years ago." Route 55 members see the value of school music programs because it can be a lifelong skill "so they want to make sure kids continue to have those experiences." Schools in the region, including Annandale, Maple Lake and Howard Lake where band members live, would be eligible for money, he said. Mary Barkley Brown, another Annandale band member, said any local music group could ask for funds. Another reason for the party is that band members enjoy making music together. "You’ll find 17 better musicians," Kubasch said, "but I don’t think you’ll find 17 musicians who have as much fun playing together. We have a ball."
