Thursday evenings in downtown Washington will be filled again with the sounds of woodwinds, brass, and percussion this summer as the Washington Municipal Band returns for the first time since 2019.

Band Director Tom McNamar says cancelling the band season last year felt like part of him was missing all summer long. While the band had been in talks on whether to hold a 2021 season since this March, it wasn’t until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their mask guidance that they felt confident to perform. McNamar says they are trying to mitigate COVID-19 spread when it comes to their weekly indoor rehearsals, “We’re going to have people spread out a little bit more than we normally do. We’re going to try to mitigate some of the social time that happens during the rehearsal and ask people to continue to wear masks at least during the social part when I give breaks. But for the most part people are really on board, they’re ready to play, they’re excited to play, and we are excited to be in beautiful downtown Washington and giving our music back to the community.”

The band’s first performance is this Thursday at 8 p.m. in the Central Park bandstand, with eight concerts planned throughout the summer, excluding the week of the Washington County Fair. You can hear more from McNamar during a two-part Halcyon House Washington Page on air and at kciiradio.com.