If you knew my wife like I know her, you would be aware that she loves to go to Cape May. If she had her druthers, she would have a second home there. Never mind that we already live in a great beach town a couple of miles to the north. What she appreciates about Cape May is its historic quaintness, and that the town is “walkable.” By that she means, not only is everything within a short walk from everything else but that the stroll down the tree-lined streets brings such pleasure, with so many quaint, old dwellings, with abundant beautiful flowers and gardens.
Now add to her predilection of everything Cape May, the experience of the 200th birthday-party celebration of Congress Hall! This event was planned in minute detail by Curtis Bashaw and his staff; my experience has shown me that he is someone who knows how to throw a party. I cannot duplicate the event in words, but let me do my best. The affair took place on Memorial Day Weekend, which provided the most fitting theme for this historical look-back. To create the mood, Curtis brought to the Great Lawn, Jed Gaylin’s full Bay-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra. They played medleys and marches that reached into the audience’s souls, moving us all with the excitement of the occasion. We heard Francis Scott Key’s “Star-Spangled Banner,” John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever,” as well as the “Congress Hall March,” written by Sousa for this historic venue back in the days when the hotel was a resort destination of U.S. presidents. To emphasize the solemnity of Memorial Day, Curtis narrated historical passages to create a Lincoln portrait. The concert concluded with Tchaikovsky’s thunderous “1812 Overture.”
Following the concert, waiters and waitresses marched by carrying torch-size sparklers, leading us all to the cake and champagne, all while giant red, white and blue searchlights crisscrossed the sky.
Both the city and the County of Cape May are fortunate to have this historic landmark alive in our midst, and that it is so artfully preserved.
Art Hall
From the Bible: (Lord) to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd. From 2 Samuel
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