Southern jazz came to a quiet corner of Lititz in September 2014, when the Lititz Historical Foundation hosted its annual Evening of Music in the Mary Oehme Garden behind the Johannes Mueller House. Nearly 200 people carried lawn chairs into the garden for the free outdoor concert, which foundation president Cory Van Brookhoven said was probably the biggest crowd the event had ever drawn.
A tradition after the craft show
The concert is held each year on the Sunday after the Lititz Craft Show and serves two purposes: it raises money for the preservation of the historic properties the foundation manages, and it introduces residents to a garden many of them never knew existed. The 2014 event was underwritten by Luthercare.
The Dixieland Express
The featured act was the Dixieland Express, a popular six-piece band based in Lancaster and led by trombonist Mike Ober. The group played an hour-long set of traditional New Orleans-style jazz as the summer evening cooled.
The audience, largely seniors, recognized both the familiar melodies and the musicianship. Solos drew rounds of applause throughout the night.
Tuba player Matt Goss, a worship leader at LCBC Church, twice set down his bass lines to step forward as a vocalist. On “Stars Fell on Alabama,” he swapped in “Pennsylvania” for the occasion, and he later sang a Louis Armstrong favorite.
Between numbers, Ober told lighthearted stories about the band’s beginnings and explained the improvisational nature of Dixieland. He also shared news that trumpeter Ben Mauger would soon leave the group for Florida, though not before giving Lititz one more memorable performance.
Saving the best for last
The band closed its planned set with the Dixieland standard “When the Saints Go Marching In,” which, for at least one longtime attendee, was the whole point. The crowd called for an encore, and the band obliged with one more tune before people folded their chairs and headed home.
Front-row regulars
Hal and Inge Mountz were among the regulars. The couple attend every year, and after Hal spotted the concert announcement in the Lititz Record Express, they arrived early enough to claim seats in the front row. Inge said the garden was simply the best spot in town for an evening of music, and she called it a perfect night.
More than donations
Donation baskets at the exits filled up, but Van Brookhoven said the concert was about more than money. It gives the foundation valuable exposure in a town where, he noted, many residents don’t realize the foundation and its properties are right there.
He wanted people to know the gardens are free and open to the community and are also available for weddings. He credited the big turnout to good weather, loyal Dixieland Express fans and familiar faces, and he was especially pleased to see many newcomers.
About the Lititz Historical Foundation
The Lititz Historical Foundation preserves and interprets the town’s Moravian-era heritage. It operates the Lititz Museum and the Johannes Mueller House, an 18th-century home on East Main Street that offers a glimpse of daily life in early Lititz. The Mary Oehme Garden behind the house is a peaceful, walled space planted with flowers and shrubs, and it has become a favorite setting for small community events.
A small-town summer night
Events like the Evening of Music show off a side of Lititz that visitors don’t always see: tucked-away historic spaces, neighbors who greet each other by name, and live music without a ticket price. For many who came in 2014, it was a chance to discover a part of town they had walked past for years.
Anyone interested in attending future concerts, touring the museum or the Mueller House, or supporting preservation efforts can contact the Lititz Historical Foundation.