Although summer weather took its time getting here this year, the season finally got off to a rousing start with the July 1 Community Sing at the Tabernacle, the first in a series that runs through July and August every year. Despite the downpour, thunder, and lightning that filled the afternoon that day, the first sing shone through the cloudy day with patriotic songs, hymns, and a family favorite sing-along.
With unlimited enthusiasm, Mr. Cleasby gets singers into the spirit of traditional favorites and patriotic selections. Photos by Ralph Stewart
Community Sings are sponsored by the Martha's Vineyard Camp-Meeting Association, and have been held at the Tabernacle since 1904.
In the early years the Campground community gathered together to sing hymns. But over time, people also wanted non-religious sings. Since then, the Community Sings have evolved, grown, and broadened so that they now feature a broad sampling of songs.
Sings are held every Wednesday at 8 pm and are designed for the whole family to enjoy together. "You never know what to expect. The events are never dull, and the audience is always different," said Bob Cleasby, program director at the Martha's Vineyard Camp-Meeting Association. "The atmosphere is comfortable. It's great fun with an evening of movement and participation. It gets you caught up in the spirit of the singing."
Although the recession has most people concerned, at Community Sings people can enjoy an inexpensive night out and a chance to forget about their worries by singing along to old-time favorite songs.
All eyes are on Bob Cleasby, who has led Community Sings in the Tabernacle since 1991.
The program celebrates old family tunes while mixing in songs of honor. The songbooks that are handed out during the program date back to 1932. Songs such as "Home on the Range," "Bingo," "Star Spangled Banner," and "Amazing Grace" are sung. During the patriotic songs, some people wave the American flag in the air, signaling their honor for the country.
"The songs are never the same each week. We get a lot of input from the audience with suggestions or recommendations for the next week's program," Mr. Cleasby said. "The songs aren't difficult, so even people who are shy can sing along to them. Everyone's voices meld together, you don't just hear one voice, you hear a combination of everyone's."
Thanks to a bit of modern technology, the selection of songs is no longer limited to the songbook. "We now have a power point screen at the front of the Tabernacle so that we can provide lyrics for songs that are not in the song book. During one of our last Community Sings we were able to sing a song by The Beatles.
"I look forward most to the crowd," Mr. Cleasby said. "At the start of each of the sings I ask people to raise their hand to find out if they're from the Island, if they're here for the summer, if it's their first time attending, or if they've attended previous summers. One year-round resident, Al Hart, has been attending for the past 90 summers."
Now that the sings are under way for the season, they are beginning to attract more attention and different age groups. The mixed audiences of young and old are ready to participate, following hand motions and choreographic instructions. On Grand Illumination Night, the Community Sing attracts between 10,000 to 15,000 people - some who are newcomers, who come to learn about the chorus whose sound resonates throughout the old Tabernacle, and others who are veterans who simply love to sing or who just enjoy observing a much-loved tradition.
Although admission is free, there is a free-will offering basket that is passed around by young volunteers.
"The Community Sings survive on our volunteers and the donations we receive," Mr. Cleasby said. "Most of our programs are free. The donations go towards the funding for those events. It also goes towards exposure for upcoming musicians. We've had pianists perform, and we recently had the OperaFest, so the donations help with featuring those kind of events.
"It's amazing that Community Sings have continued for this long. The world is full of technology and computers now, so it's interesting that people still have involvement in programs like this. I've never seen an event like this one anywhere else but on the Island. Community Sings should continue for another 100 years."
Community Sings, Wednesdays, 8 pm, Tabernacle, Oak Bluffs. Through August. Free-will offering.
Caitlyn Clark, a native of Oak Bluffs, is a summer intern at The Times.
