TOMS RIVER – Traditions do not endure for 63 years by accident. They survive because people refuse to let them disappear.
That spirit filled Mancini Hall at the Ocean County Library on July 2 as the Toms River Municipal Band opened its 2026 season with a stirring celebration of America’s 250th birthday. Forced indoors by oppressive heat that made an outdoor performance unsafe, the nearly 30-member ensemble transformed the library’s multipurpose venue into a concert hall where music, patriotism and community came together in a way that has defined the band for more than six decades.
The audience reflected the band’s enduring appeal. Predominantly senior citizens, many of them longtime supporters, settled comfortably into their seats before the first note was played. Some quietly tapped their feet to familiar marches. Others closed their eyes as the rich sound of brass, woodwinds and percussion washed over the room. Warm applause followed each selection, growing louder as the evening progressed — a reminder that live community performances continue to resonate with concertgoers despite the prevalence of digital entertainment.
Conductor Frank Hughes joined the Municipal Band as a sophomore in high school, beginning as the last-chair trumpet player before becoming trumpet soloist, assistant director and eventually conductor following the sudden death of the band’s founder just weeks before a concert season began. Hughes, who turns 78 this month, said he has no immediate plans to put down the baton.
“I plan to go till I’m at least 80, and then we’ll see from there,” Hughes said, adding that assistant band director Dan McGrath, who also directs the Barnegat High School band, will eventually succeed him.
His commitment mirrors that of the musicians surrounding him. The ensemble ranges in age from 24 to 78 and includes teachers, retirees, business professionals and lifelong musicians who devote their summers to preserving one of Ocean County’s longest-running cultural traditions. Hughes said retaining members has rarely been a problem.
“This is going to sound very self-serving,” he said with a laugh. “But they enjoy playing, and they enjoy playing for me.”
He noted that only three members have left the band during the past seven years, and all moved away.
Just as importantly, Hughes believes audiences continue returning because every concert offers something different.
“We do a little bit of everything,” he said. “Sometimes we’ll do a novelty, sometimes we’ll do a lot of Sousa marches, sometimes we have a Broadway night where we bring in vocalists. Last year we did a movie night. We try to keep it entertaining and something different each concert for the audience.”
That philosophy was evident at the band’s summer opener. Rather than presenting the same patriotic program audiences may have heard before, Hughes assembled a concert built around America’s semiquincentennial, combining beloved classics with the world premiere of an original composition written specifically for the occasion.
A Musical Tribute To America
The evening’s centerpiece was the premiere of “With Liberty and Justice for All,” an original composition by the band’s lead trombonist, Robert Dalton, written especially for America’s 250th birthday celebration.
Dalton’s work offered more than a collection of familiar patriotic melodies. Opening with bold brass fanfares and spirited percussion, the composition carried listeners through moments of celebration, reflection and triumph. Sweeping themes gave way to quieter passages before building once again toward a powerful conclusion that evoked both the nation’s history and its enduring ideals.
The premiere drew sustained applause from the audience.
“Bob is a special person, a great musician,” Hughes said. “He’s written compositions for our jazz band, but this is the first one for the concert band.”
The remainder of the program reflected the rich traditions of the American concert band, featuring “American Fanfare,” “Seize the Day,” “Bugler’s Holiday,” “Americans We,” “The Patriot,” “National Emblem,” “American Salute,” “Armed Forces Salute,” “America the Beautiful” and John Philip Sousa’s stirring “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”
One of the evening’s moving moments came when Virginia “Ginny” Haines, who serves as regent of the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, narrated “America the Beautiful.” She brought added emotion to the performance, reminding listeners that patriotism is found not only in stirring marches but also in quiet reflections on the nation’s beauty, sacrifices and shared ideals.
Veterans throughout the audience also received heartfelt recognition during “Armed Forces Salute,” rising as the music of their respective service branches filled Mancini Hall. Audience members responded with enthusiastic applause, creating one of the concert’s most memorable moments.
Keeping The Music Playing
While the band’s first concert celebrated America’s past, it also reflected the determination of local residents to preserve one of Toms River’s own traditions.
Longtime community supporter Phil Brilliant spearheaded fundraising efforts after the band’s finances became uncertain, helping raise approximately half of the private funding needed to complete this year’s concert season. Brilliant said he undertook the effort on his own because he believed the Municipal Band was a tradition worth preserving.
The fundraising became necessary after what Hughes described as the second consecutive year without Toms River Township serving as a co-sponsor of the Municipal Band’s season. The issue was first reported last year by Patch, which detailed the band’s efforts to replace longtime township support with county funding and private donations.
Mayor Daniel Rodrick disputes Hughes’ characterization of the township’s role.
“We were not asked to co-sponsor,” Rodrick said in a text message following the concert.
When asked whether he was referring to both the 2025 and 2026 seasons, Rodrick repeated, “We were not asked to co-sponsor.”
Rodrick previously noted that the township continues to sponsor its own summer entertainment series, including live musical performances followed by fireworks at Shelter Cove Park, which were promoted as being sponsored by Mayor Daniel T. Rodrick and the Toms River Recreation Department. He said the opening concert attracted a large crowd, citing what he described as an AI interpretation of a photograph that estimated 900 to 1,200 attendees, including 37 people watching from boats.
Whatever the differing accounts surrounding the Municipal Band’s sponsorship, there was little evidence of controversy inside Mancini Hall on Thursday evening. Audience members lingered after the final encore, congratulating musicians, greeting old friends and savoring another performance by an organization that has entertained audiences for more than six decades.
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