By Dave Babbitt – Special to the Sydenham Current
Please note that I am writing this column before our band’s planned concert on May 27th.
In my several years of contributing to this column, I have never had a more difficult one to write, and forgive me if it isn’t entirely about the Arts.
By this time, everyone in Southwestern Ontario is aware of the unspeakable tragedy that our community has recently experienced.
The tragedies seem to be endless.
Three beautiful young people lost their lives, and two others have suffered life-altering injuries. A truck driver, simply on his way home to his family, is scarred. First responders, nearby motorists, and those who live near the accident scene will be emotionally tortured forever. And who in this community isn’t connected in some way to one of the families most affected?
Words to express our grief and sympathy to anyone affected simply do not exist. Words fail us.
I’m not going to ramble on, but I do have some explaining to do.
Since January, our Wallaceburg Concert Band has been working hard to deliver our most ambitious concert since our inception. We have been advertising our concert madly via social media and in this column.
Saturday, May 27th, was supposed to be a joyous occasion.
And now this.
What are we to do?
Since this tragic event, our Band Executive, members, and families of members have been in constant discussions about how we should proceed or whether we should cancel or at least postpone the concert.
Regardless of what we do, we leave ourselves open to criticism as there is no overwhelmingly clear, correct answer.
In short, we decided to stay the course and present our concert on Saturday.
Please know that our decision to proceed was torturous and nothing short of agonizing.
The question may very likely be, “Why are you going ahead?”
The simple answer is that our community must begin to heal, and we are calling on the healing properties of music to help start that process.
Are we forgetting about the victims? Absolutely not. Never.
Will we have fun? Nothing like we had planned for so long, but hopefully in short, small doses. That’s what music has the ability to do.
Is it wrong for some to have fun under the circumstances? Maybe. Maybe not. Again, no clear answer.
Why didn’t we simply postpone?
We had over 60 people who have planned for this date since early January. Many have rearranged holidays and other plans. Our logistics, including facility use and transport of equipment, are not easily changed. So, with heavy hearts, we will proceed.
It is well known that everyone grieves differently and that some disagree with how others go through the process. We hope that our regular supporters will understand our decision, and the situation will be addressed at our concert. We hope that attendees may lose some of the numbness for a few fleeting moments.
Our concerts always offer free admission, but many choose to donate in support of our ongoing costs. For this concert, however, we insist that all potential donations be directed to the Go Fund Me initiative that has been set up to support those most affected by this tragedy.
We don’t want your money where others need it.
Personally, I have stopped promoting the concert and will be content if anyone shows up. This was supposed to be a joyous weekend for us, and I’m still hoping that there will be moments of that, but please remember everyone affected by this tragedy.
