Jazz funeral to bid farewell to summer in Bethany Sept. 2

The Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral will mark the the end of the summer season, with activities to begin at 5:30 p.m., Labor Day Monday, Sept. 2, at the north end of the Bethany Beach boardwalk.

The family-friendly event is a lighthearted celebration with attendees participating in a fun boardwalk parade. A procession of mourners will carry a casket with a mannequin representing Summer of 2019 from the north end of the Boardwalk to its final resting place at the bandstand. Music will be provided by the combined efforts of three Dixieland jazz bands, evoking the spirit of traditional New Orleans jazz funerals.

"In Bethany Beach, the jazz funeral is celebrated each Labor Day to mark the passing of the summer resort season in Delaware's Quiet Resorts,” said Carolyn Bacon, who serves as assistant event chair along with Marie Wright.

Moss Wagner, a former town council member and Bethany businessman who owned and operated the Bethany Beach Ice Cream Parlor and Moss Boss' Ice Cream Shop, founded this end-of-summer celebration. Wagner's original idea was to have a small party for local businessmen to celebrate the closing of the traditional summer resort season on Labor Day. His initially small party grew into a town-wide celebration featuring a Dixieland band and a funky funeral procession.

“Some may weep and cry for dearly departed summer; others dress to the hilt in costumes like they would if they were attending a New Orleans jazz funeral,” Bacon said. “Everyone smiles and laughs at the tongue-in-cheek humor, and all are encouraged to sing along with the Dixieland bands.”

For more information, go to www.jazz-funeral.com.