We spend a lot of time in our yard during the spring and summer months, especially on weekends. My husband plants flowers and digs up weeds; I pick up sticks and deadhead the geraniums. We both participate in the thankless job of watering; with record-breaking heat waves this summer and little rain, we barely can keep up. Our dog, Jed, rolls in the grass and sniffs the air under a star magnolia tree that has grown quite large. He keeps an eye on the street and the squirrels. After all this activity, we haul out our lawn recliners, perhaps enjoy a beverage, and take in the sounds of summer – from both the natural and manmade worlds: church bells, lawn mowers, motorcycles, the mourning doves who live at our house, the comings and goings of the Ascension St. Vincent StatFlight 6 emergency response helicopter, children playing next door, the thump, thump, thump of a basketball dribbled across the street, sirens, planes overhead from the east still ascending to 35,000 feet, muffled cheers from nearby youth ballgames, and, if it’s 3 p.m. on a summer Sunday, the opening notes of a small brass band.
The sound of the brass band was a mystery to me for more than a few months. It was consistent, I noticed. Sure enough, come Sunday afternoon, the brass notes would start up, moving across the lawns from the east. What was this band that played outside on the weekends? It sounded too close and not large enough in number to be a high school marching band. So, I took my question to Facebook and a page administered for neighbors on and around our street. I asked if anyone knew what the brass sound was wafting across the lawns. My question was answered: “Our neighbor on Lincoln (East) plays and teaches music outside. Brass?”
It was a few months before I learned that retired Harrison High School Band Director Art Adye was the neighbor who conducted the brass rehearsals – specifically, French horn rehearsals – in his backyard. Now I’ve come to expect the low, smooth sounds on Sunday afternoons. Read Sarah Thurman Corley’s story on this unique band on page 22.
If the sizzle of the grill is your favorite sound of summer, we made this issue with you in mind. Beginning on page 48, the cover story “The Thrill of the Grill” looks past the smoke to get into the meat of the matter on the best ways to grill and the best foods to put on the grill. Weber kettle (that’s our family) or gas with bells and whistles? You can duke it out with our experts who also guide you on the ideal cuts for various grilling methods, must-have gear, side dishes that complement the main attraction, and basically everything you need to know before lighting it up.
Right before this magazine went to press, my family helped inaugurate a new grill at the North Georgia home of Todd’s uncle and aunt, Evansville natives Jerry and Joyce Hudson. A new Weber gas grill was purchased to do the heavy lifting of feeding a crowd. It performed as expected – rendering perfectly grilled chicken.
As always, I look forward to hearing from you. I hope your summer is happy!
Sincerely,
Kristen K. Tucker
Publisher & Editor
Reach out!
Letters to the editor can be sent to letters@evansvilleliving.com.
