Sounds of Summer Fill Main Street

The 29th season of Village of Farmingdale pops concerts is in full swing and continued Wednesday night on the Village Green.

“This was the best thing that has come to Farmingdale on a Wednesday night,” said attendee Rose Amereno. “The seniors enjoy it and it brings the whole community out, and most of the people playing in the bands are from Farmingdale.”

The night's music was led by orchestra director Brad Dimilo. The evening began with remarks by

“Thank you for coming down to the Village Green,” Starkie said, adding a thanks to event co-sponsors Farmingdale Public Schools, The , and the Eve Foundation, among others.

The concert commenced with the band playing the national anthem,, followed by James Swearingen’s “Invicta,” which Dimilo remarked had a bright beginning and a lively ending.

“Washington Post” was the most popular tune of the first half of the program, since it allowed the crowd to tap their feet. Other highlight songs were “Sheherazade,” a classical piece of romantic music, by Russian composer Rimski-Korsakov, as well as the ballad “On a Clear Day,” which was made famous by Barbara Streisand.

In the middle of the program, a “Minute of History” segment took place, in which John Allen, a fifth generation resident and president of Farmingdale’s Rotary Club, paid a tribute to his great-great grandfather John Allen, who was a veteran soldier in the Civil War and a prominent citizen of the Farmingdale community in the late 1800s.

The program continued with “Gershwin Prelude Suite,” as well as Frank Loesser’s “Highlights from Guys and Dolls,” which was made into a musical starring Frank Sinatra. “Tip Toe Through the Tubes” featured two young adults, Tom and Andrew, playing on two tubas.

Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” closed the show.

“This was a great event. It was a real, small town gathering,” said resident Hank Pieloch.

“More people should bring their kids,” said Chris Hilton, who brought his wife and four children along. “The show was great and my children enjoyed it.”

“This was the most perfect community event,” said Deputy Mayor Patricia Christiansen. “We have been fortunate to offer it to the community. This series consists of seven concerts, and all musicians are volunteers. There was a great attendance and free ice cream. Tomorrow, we have ‘Movie Night’ with free popcorn, drinks and ice cream as well.”