Sunday, September 21, 2008

September 21 PA Arts Sunday - Part Two -- Wasilla Wonderland March

Back when Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was a City of Wasilla City Council member, a volunteer group in the Wasilla area created one of the finest young children's parks in Alaska.

As hundreds of community volunteers put the park together, Sarah Palin and her fungelical supporters were nowhere to be found. Perhaps it was because the park's biggest volunteer supporters were local Democrats and independents, not Republicans.

The volunteer group commissioned me to write a dedicatory march for the park's opening. I called the resulting piece, Wasilla Wonderland March. It is a fairly dippy piece, in a way. But it was written to celebrate a playground for kids, so that simplicity comes with the territory.

Here's one of the march's first performances.

It is played by the Mat-Su College Community Band, under my direction. A true community band, the youngest member in this recording was nine years old, the oldest in his 80s.

image - Wonderland Park detail, as of last week

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