The 15th Annual Boston Pops event to benefit Nantucket Cottage Hospital is scheduled to take place this Saturday. Many, many hours of volunteer time going into making this evening special. For the past 13 years Mary D. Malavase has been the Meet and Greet Ambassador for the Boston Pops Orchestra. The orchestra arrives at Straight Wharf on the Hy-Line fast ferry late Saturday afteroon along with their (portable) instruments. The bigger instruments are transported by truck. Mary holds a “WELCOME POPS” sign, made by G.S. Hill, and greets many of the now familiar orchestra members with hugs. Many of the members have come to the island year after year. Mary and the Pops Coordinator then get the musicians onto three Island Tour buses, and get the okay that they are not leaving the tuba player behind, before heading to Jetties beach.
By this time, although Jetties Beach has been closed all day for preparations, the buses pass many people on foot and bikes on North Beach Street and Bathing Beach Road heading to the beach to stake out their spot for the concert. Many of the people clap and cheer as the buses roll by in thanks to the orchestra. At the beach two tents are set up for dressing rooms for the musicians (men and women), they are served a light supper on the Jetties porch and they get ready to perform. The stage has been set up the day before and it is 60 feet tall including the canopy covering.
At the end of the concert, the orchestra does a quick change, the three buses are waiting and, led by a pair of police motorcycles, they are escorted back to Straight Wharf, where they catch the last Hy-Line fast ferry to leave the island. These professionals are only on-island for about 6 hours and it is nice to ponder how much joy they bring to the Nantucket community. Thank you Mary for all that you do for our community.