Mattapoisett Town Band celebrates 125th anniversary
The Mattapoisett Town Band takes a group picture on their 125th anniversary. Photos by Grace Ann Natanawan
Trevor Faria of Acushnet and Elijah Botelho of Fall River play the bassoon.
Rep. Mark Sylvia congratulates the town band on their 125th anniversary.
Susan Noonan of Onset and Diane Newell of Mattapisett help the band serve free cupcakes to celebrate the special occasion. 
Children march with American flags while the band performs.
Wareham musician Christine Houghton plays the bass clarinet.
Kids in the audience are invited to conduct a part of the performance.
Wareham resident and percussionist Ryan Paiva holds her symbols.
The Mattapoisett Town Band takes a group picture on their 125th anniversary. Photos by Grace Ann Natanawan
Trevor Faria of Acushnet and Elijah Botelho of Fall River play the bassoon.
Rep. Mark Sylvia congratulates the town band on their 125th anniversary.
Susan Noonan of Onset and Diane Newell of Mattapisett help the band serve free cupcakes to celebrate the special occasion.
Children march with American flags while the band performs.
Wareham musician Christine Houghton plays the bass clarinet.
Kids in the audience are invited to conduct a part of the performance.
Wareham resident and percussionist Ryan Paiva holds her symbols.
MATTAPOISETT — The Mattapoisett Town Band gathered at Shipyard Park to celebrate their 125th anniversary with a pitch-perfect performance, a formal recognition from Gov. Maura Healey and State Rep. Mark Sylvia and 125 cupcakes.
Band director Jayson Newell described the anniversary as “very surreal” and “unbelievable.”
“[The band] was around well before I was born and hopefully, well after I’m gone,” he said.
As attendees watched and munched on the cupcakes from Shipyard Galley, the town band opened the performance with John Philip Sousa’s “Hail to the Spirit of Liberty” march which was followed by a statement from Sylvia.
“Thank you Jayson and the entire band for bringing so much joy to the Mattapoisett community,” he said.
Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll also honored the band with a governor’s proclamation, which is a public declaration from the Massachusetts government meant to honor specific occasions and events.
“We commend the tradition of the volunteer musicians playing Wednesday nights, and we give you great appreciation for all that you do,” said Driscoll and Healey in their statement read by Sylvia.
Around 50 musicians performed in the gazebo at Shipyard Park, playing hits from “Frozen,” “Wicked,” “Hairspray,” and “Mary Poppins,” in addition to concert band classics like John Philip Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”
“It’s a lot of band favorites,” said Newell of the program.
Children in the audience were handed batons and encouraged to conduct a song, in addition to waving around miniature American flags and marching around the gazebo.
North Providence resident and trombonist Emma Pacheco has been a part of the band for over 10 years, originally joining while she was a student at New Bedford High School.
“I was looking for opportunities to play during the summer,” she said.
While she can’t make it to Mattapoisett for every performance, she was excited to be a part of the “awesome” celebration.
Wareham resident and percussionist Ryan Paiva said she is grateful that community bands like the Mattapoisett Town Band are able to “keep concert music alive.”
“It’s really good that we can continuously bring this music here,” she said.
Newell emphasized that he is grateful to lead a band that has withstood the test of time, stating that “it’s nice to be a little part of a long-standing tradition.”
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