I'm with the band

Who hasn't been to the park during the summer concert season and heard their favorite Sousa march played by the community brass band or taken part in a theatrical portrayal of a neighborhood Shakespeare festival?   Bandshells are an essential part of park recreation and serve as meeting spots for family and friends alike.   Whether they are made from wood and steel or erected out of overlying stones, they are a timeless reminder of the coliseums and amphitheaters of ancient Rome.   Shakespeare's England was full of these neighborhood concert venues and their very shape allowed for magnification of voices and instruments without the modern invention of microphones.  

Here in Monroe stands the aptly named Twining Park bandshell dedicated in 1960 and modeled in the Swiss-style construction.   During the Independence holiday, the community band sets up shop in the bandshell and plays the standards from Sousa and originals from local composers.   Theater is performed there from the most intricate English tragedies to simple skits and talent shows.   And when there is nothing going on, it stands as a play area for adventure seeking kids or people like me looking for time to kill and a picture to take.   I would lie if I didn't stand up there and face the empty audience, try out a bit of stand-up comedy, and imagine one or two people laughing at my adolescent humor.   Judging from the cool reception I got from the empty seats, I figure I'll stick with trying to improve my camera skills.