COVID-19 pandemic silences the happy sounds of the Suncoast Mummers after a 40-year run
The day the COVID-19 pandemic arrived is the day the music died.
The Suncoast Mummers String Band has played its last note, ending a more than 40-year tradition of happy, toe-tapping music, and colorful dance. Their audience was largely seniors in assisted living facilities and mobile home parks, those most vulnerable to the pandemic.
“We did it for the love of it. This COVID really killed us. It’s a shame it happened,” Joe Quattrone said.
With their banjos, violins, bass fiddles, accordions, clarinets, saxophones, and glockenspiel, the Mummers and dancers, dressed in colorful, befeathered costumes, brought smiles and memories to their audiences.
“We were already booked for the next two seasons,” band leader Marge Schweizer said of performances planned before the pandemic. “We had to cancel everything for our health, and theirs, too.”
Age worked against the Mummers. Several players are in their 90s, and the average Mummer has more than 70 candles on their birthday cake.
“We are all volunteers and any money we realize beyond expenses has gone to high school music scholarships for college,” Quattrone said.
The Mummers always closed their shows with the song “Everywhere We Go Sunshine Follows Us,” said Schweizer, 76, who took over the club’s presidency in 2015 after her husband, John, died.
“It’s a very sad thing. The Canadians couldn’t come down this year because of COVID. We just lost our last original member, a tuba player who was close to 100. It was our time,” Schweizer said.
The club has already sold its trailer used to transport costumes and equipment.
“This fantastic form of entertainment came to a halt as COVID- 19 became a factor with our fan base, our own band members, and the lack of solid grounds for financial stability,” Quattrone said.
“In today’s environment to be willing and able to volunteer is a cherished virtue and The Suncoast Mummers String Band has done it with honor and passion. We salute the original founders, members and all those that sacrificed many hours volunteering to carry on this magnificent tradition,” he said.
Schweizer said she wanted to recognize previous band directors, including Bob Weideman, Art Witiker, John Schweizer, and Tom Litzenberger, and Strutter leaders Rita Mooney and Betty Lou Leu.
“We leave thanking the greater Bradenton/Sarasota area for their warmth and support over the years. Health to all and please remember, ‘Let a Smile be Your Umbrella’ and always have a song in your heart,” Quattrone said.
