Neighbors

And the beat goes on...

Posted

It was hard to miss the sound of beating drums in Massapequa on Saturday. Although the South Shore was hit with more than four inches of snow, Drumming for Our Veterans — a show featuring more than 60 acclaimed drummers — was held to entertain local military personnel. 

Jack Stein, a Vietnam War veteran, organized the event at Elks Lodge No. 2162. In spite of the stormy weather, veterans from neighboring communities like Wantagh, Seaford, Levittown, Plainview, and Hicksville — as well as states like Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Jersey and Vermont — came to the concert, which was also a fundraiser for the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center. 

The performers ranged from steel drummers to world champion snare players to a Flamenco drumming/dancing duo. Participating groups included the Bethpage Colonials, the Amazing Cuccia Drummers, the Hawthorne Caballeros Alumni Drum Ensemble, the Hip Pickles and the Long Island Percussion Educators Ensemble. Anthony Romeo, the Seaford High School band director, played for LIPEE. 

Romeo’s sons, Alex and Nick, and several Seaford Boy Scouts led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance before Hall of Fame trumpet player Frank Ponzo and drummer Frank Nash offered their rendition of the national anthem.