BETHANY BEACH, DEL. – The Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral has chosen the American Red Cross of the Delmarva Peninsula as the beneficiary of funds to be raised at its Friday, September 2 Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral Silent Auction. 

The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Movement. They provide relief to victims of disaster and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.

The 2011 Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral will be celebrated on Labor Day Monday September 5 with activities beginning about 5:30 p.m. at the North end of the Bethany Beach Boardwalk.  The event is a celebration at the end of the summer to "bid a fond farewell" to the traditional summer season.

At the Jazz Funeral, spectators go to the Bethany Beach Boardwalk on Labor Day Monday and can join the funeral procession of mourners accompanied by Dixieland bands.  Mourners carry a casket with a mannequin representing "Summer of 2011" from the North end of the Boardwalk to its final resting place at the Boardwalk Bandstand.

This is a family-friendly event that is free to the public, according to Carolyn Bacon and Marie Wright, the assistant chairpersons of this year's Jazz Funeral events.

For the past six years, the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral has also hosted the Jazz Funeral Silent Auction to benefit a charity.  This year the Jazz Funeral Silent Auction will be held on Friday September 2 from 3-5 p.m. at Bethany Blues restaurant to honor Red Cross.

BETHANY BEACH, DEL. – While the summer season in the quiet resorts of the greater Bethany Beach, Del. area is just starting to swing into high gear, a group of local residents are preparing to celebrate the end of this year’s season by hosting their annual jazz funeral.

The Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral is held each year on Labor Day Monday on the Bethany Beach Boardwalk.  It is a celebration at the end of the summer to "bid a fond farewell" to the traditional summer season in this small southern Delaware beach town.

The 2011 Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral will be celebrated on Labor Day Monday, September 5 with activities beginning about 5:30 p.m. at the North end of the Bethany Beach Boardwalk.  The event is family-friendly and free to the public, according to Carolyn Bacon and Marie Wright, the assistant chairpersons of this year's Jazz Funeral events.

At the Jazz Funeral, visitors and locals are invited to meet at the Bethany Beach Boardwalk on Labor Day Monday and join a lighthearted funeral procession to celebrate the end of the summer season.  Accompanied by three jazz bands, the mourners transport a casket with a mannequin representing "Summer of 2011" to its final resting place at the Boardwalk Bandstand.  One of the focal point of the September 5 celebration is the funeral procession that starts at the North end of the Boardwalk and slowly proceeds to the Boardwalk bandstand to the strains of such songs as "Amazing Grace" played by the combined forces of three Dixieland jazz bands.

Even though the event is celebrating its 26^th anniversary this year, it is still a mystery to many people, according to longtime area resident Kirk Rankin.

"The Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral will celebrate its 26th anniversary this year; yet, people still ask me, 'What is the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral?' and 'Where did the idea of the Jazz Funeral come from?'" remarked Rankin, who has been a Jazz Funeral enthusiast since its inception.  

"The idea of the Jazz Funeral in Bethany Beach was originated by Moss Wagner," said Rankin. "For many years, Moss owned the Bethany Beach Ice Cream Parlor on Garfield Parkway and later Moss' Boss Ice Cream Shop on Atlantic Ave.  He was also a member of the Bethany Beach town council who was known for his innovative ideas."

When questioned by observers about the origin of the Jazz Funeral, Rankin surmised that these questions are perfectly normal, since the tradition of the Jazz Funeral is native to New Orleans, rather than the Southern Delaware Beach area.

"Moss Wagner was directly influenced by the Jazz Funerals held in New Orleans that celebrate a person’s passing," said Rankin.  "Moss thought it would be an interesting activity to celebrate the passing or end of the season since we have such as a short summer season in Bethany Beach with a definite beginning and end."

Former Bethany councilman Wagner was the leader of the Jazz Funeral for the first 12 years and embraced a Jazz Funeral tradition by dressing in costume as the Grim Reaper.  For his contributions, Wagner was honored at the 20th year celebration of the Jazz Funeral he founded.

Rankin and Wagner often discussed the roots of the Jazz Funeral.

"We often talked about the New Orleans Jazz Funeral tradition. More accurately, the Bethany version is a 'mock funeral' with music," Rankin said.  "Funerals with music predated the start of jazz, and they continued with the contemporary New Orleans Street-Funk style of brass band, with music and traditions quite different from the traditional style of funerals."

Although a Jazz Funeral may sound somewhat far removed from what most people are used to, Rankin said that music is a part of life's activities.

"For almost every activity in the life of the individual or community, there is appropriate music," Rankin said. "It is an integral part of life from the hour of birth to beyond the grave."

The roots of the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral are definitely that of New Orleans.

"One of the more distinguishing aspects of New Orleans Culture is the Jazz Funeral," Rankin said.  "Architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe noted in 1919 that the New Orleans Jazz funerals were, 'peculiar to New Orleans alone among all American cities.'"

"The late jazzman Danny Barker, writing in his book Bourbon Street Blues, noted the funeral is seen as 'a major celebration.'  The roots of the Jazz Funeral date back to Africa over four centuries ago."

There is also an important societal consideration that made the original Jazz Funerals a meaningful part of the social fabric of the times.

"Throughout history, the idea of providing a proper burial to your fellow brother or sister is a strong one," Rankin said. "As time passed, this became one of the basic principles of the social and pleasure clubs that many New Orleans citizens were members of."

"The social and pleasure club guaranteed proper burial conditions as did many fraternal orders and lodges to any member who passed.  These organizations were precursors to the concept of burial insurance and the debit insurance companies."

The practice of having music during funeral processions was added to the basic pattern of celebration for most aspects of life, including death. 

As the brass band became increasingly popular during the early 19th century, they were frequently called on to play processional music that included funerals, Rankin said.

"There is a great quote by Sidney Bechet, a renowned New Orleans jazzman, after he observed the celebration of a jazz funeral," Rankin said. "Bechet said, 'Music here is as much a part of death as it is of life.'"

One might say the traditional New Orleans Jazz Funeral is as much a part of the fabric and rich cultural traditions of New Orleans as red beans and rice.

"While those who visit Bethany Beach during the summer seem to prefer French fries and ice cream cones to red beans and rice, there is still a need to say good bye to a friend we will not see until the next year -- the summer season in Bethany Beach," Rankin surmised.  "Being part of the Jazz Funeral is participating in a social tradition of Bethany Beach that has lasted 26 years."

Part of saying good-bye is having a Dixieland Band on hand. To help bury the Summer of 2011, three New Orleans-style Dixieland Jazz bands are combined into one to provide the entertainment. These bands are the Dixie Cats, the Downtown Dixieland Band and the Jazz Funeral Irregulars.

The annual Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral on Labor Day Monday, September 5 begins with a private "Wake" at about 5 p.m.  The "Solemn Procession" follows at 5:30 p.m.  This year's procession, accompanied by the music of three Dixieland jazz bands, will start at the North end of the Bethany Boardwalk.  At the conclusion of the event, those who attend the Jazz Funeral are encouraged to enjoy the rest of the evening by dining at local restaurants in the quiet resorts. 

A silent auction will be held on the Friday afternoon before Labor Day on Friday September 2 at about 3 p.m.  All of the silent auctions have been held at Bethany Blues at 6 North Pennsylvania Avenue in Bethany Beach. The Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral Silent Auction is a kickoff to the Labor Day weekend and the beneficiary for funds raised at a silent auction held on the Friday afternoon prior to Labor Day will be named shortly.

Those charities under consideration include the American Red Cross of Delmarva, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Sussex County, the Sussex County Habitat for Humanity, the American Cancer Society and their Relay For Life® program, and the Audubon Society of Delaware and the Chesapeake Audubon Society.  All have been past Jazz Funeral beneficiaries.

The Jazz Funeral also intends to honor the memory of Bethany businessman Art Antal who was chairman of the Jazz Funeral for six years.  Antal was the proprietor of the former Starcade Amusement Center and the Golfin' Dolphin Indoor Mini-Golf Course on Garfield Parkway.  A popular and colorful local icon, Antal took over the reigns of the Jazz Funeral after founder Wagner relocated.  Sadly, Antal passed away in the Fall of 2010.

Anyone who wishes to volunteer to help out with the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral or the Silent Auction is requested to email jazzfuneral@mchsi.com, call to leave a message at 302-537-1585 or drop a line to PO Box 505, Bethany Beach, Del. 19930.