For most of the past 74 summers, July outdoor band concerts in Port Washington have been underwritten by the Port Washington Board of Education as a part of the Summer Music program. In a few of those years there were no such performances, such as in some of the World War II years and in one year in the 1970s when the school district was on an austerity budget.

With it now resolved that the Port Washington School District will be on a contingency budget for the 2005-2006 school year, July 2005 must regrettably be a year in which there cannot be concerts by the Schreiber High School -Community Summer Concert Band in the Sousa Bandshell in Sunset Park.

While there was no concert of any kind in the Shell on July 1, the Sousa Bandshell Committee is endeavoring to obtain substitute musical organizations to perform concerts for July 8, 15 and 22, all Friday evenings which would have seen the Port Community Band in the performing group.

We regret any inconvenience caused by our inability to let our Sunset Park audience be aware earlier of this change of plans.

The Sousa Bandshell Committee