Red Letter Day

Huron City Museums

Saturday, July 30st, 2005

Bess Bonnier
at the Steinway
Detroit-born, Bess Bonnier, who has been called a "great jazz pianist" by Leonard Feather and a "jazz player of great feeling" by Ira Gitler, came of age in the same 1950's Detroit that produced a veritable "Who's Who of Jazz." After graduating from Northern High School with Tommy Flanagan, she studied Music and English at Wayne State University before striking off on her own as a pianist. She first gained national attention in the late 1950's when Argo Records released her album entitled Theme for the Tall One.
Bess was the pianist in the famous Jack Brokensha quartet. She served as artist-in-residence at Detroit's prestigious Cass Technical High School and her video "Jazz History" course has been used over and over again since it was originally recorded. She was the artistic coordinator for the Detroit Institute of Art's popular Jazz at the Institute series. Her performances in the series have been broadcast over the National Public Radio jazz stations.
Bess is the regular solo pianist in the Detroit Institute of Art's Crystal Gallery each Sunday afternoon. Her artistry sets the mood for the After Glow at the DIA's fabulous Elizabethan Wassail Feast each December. Bess has performed in several Montreux Detroit Jazz Festivals, played in the 1982 Kool Jazz Festival in Purchase, New York, and was one of the featured pianists, along with Barry Harris, Sir Roland Hanna and Tommy Flanagan, in the New York City program called the "Detroit Piano Summit".
And of course, Bess is co-founder and first performing artist of Huron City Museums’ Red Letter Day event. This is her third appearance here.
Welcome home, Bess!
Suite William (Noteworks Records, 1999) and Love Notes (Noteworks Records, 1997) are the latest releases from Miss Bonnier.

The Players

William Lyon Phelps is played by Walter D. Wagoner, Jr.
Walt is a great grand nephew of Billy Phelps. As a personal initiative, Walt has recently collected many publications by or about Billy Phelps, and has generously donated his collection to the Huron City Museums. Billy Phelps’ essay on Women was published with a collection called “Adventures and Confessions” in 1926.
Annabel Hubbard Phelps, is played by Mariana P. Wagoner, Annabel’s great niece. Aunt Annabel, or Auntibel Phelps, Billy’s wife of 46 years, was very active in the Huron county community, organizing the Willing Workers, a girl scout troop, events and fundraisers with her creativity and boundless energy.
Langdon Hubbard is read by Charles A. Parcells, Jr. great grandson of Langdon. Charles is Chairman of the William Lyon Phelps Foundation. Langdon Hubbard settled in Huron City in 1854 where he established a lucrative lumber operation. His town and forests were burned twice by the great forest fires of 1871 and 1881. But he persisted and rebuilt.
Amanda Lester Hubbard is played by Kathryn H. Parcells, her great great grand daughter. Katy is president of the William Lyon Phelps Foundation that operates the museums. Amanda came to Huron City in 1861 aged 20, as the bride of Langdon Hubbard. They had three children, Frank, Annabel and Richard. From her letters we learn that she was sometimes lonesome, especially when Langdon was away on business. Tragically, she died of an illness when she was only 26 years old.
Jeanette Hubbard, played by Carolyn Lounsberry, was the youngest of Langdon’s three sisters back in Connecticut. She came to Huron City when Amanda fell ill and stayed to care for the children. In 1871 she experienced the great fire that destroyed Huron City, after which she took the children back home to Connecticut to be raised and educated.

11:00 AM Reception at Seven Gables
Music by the Alan Wasserman Trio
12:13 PM Traditional Owl Salute “El Capitan”
12:30 PM Luncheon on the Lawn
Raise the Roof on Seven Gables!
Church Window Dedications
Hat decorating!
3:00 PM Program at the Huron City Church
Bess Bonnier at the Steinway
WOMEN
4:00 PM Ice Cream Social at Seven Gables
Museum Village tours and Seven Gables Open House all day
Lawn games, Crafts, Spinning Wheels, Quilting

Huron City Church Stained Glass Window and
Seven Gables Roof Restoration Funds

Program

Need new List for 2005
Mr. Charles A. Parcells, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Arms
Mr. and Mrs. George Vincent
Tinsey & Hasen Farms
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Wilson
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hamilton
Mrs. Mariana P. Wagoner
Mr. Walter D. Wagoner, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Verdier
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Clippert
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Kanaski
Mrs. Hermine Klingler
Mr. and Mrs. William Krag
Ms. Elizabeth Parcells
Ms. Karen Sanders
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Mercier
Mr. and Mrs. John Renick
Mr. and Mrs. Don Schrom
Mr. and Mrs. James Hunter
Mr. and Mrs. Ken Vanderbroek
Mr. Ronald Tank
Mr. and Mrs. Lowell McDonald
Dr. and Mrs. Stan Marx
The Honorable Cheryl Farmer
Mr. Mark Henry Kubacki
Mrs. Jeanette Kubacki

Mr. Joseph Lawrence
Mr. and Mrs. Willet O’Dell
Mr. and Mrs. Joe Scott
Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Semple
Mr. and Mrs. John Sheoris
Mrs. Carolyn Lounsberry
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Bishop
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Schlacht
Mr. and Mrs. Dean Smith
Mrs. Sandy Drettmann
Mrs. Evelyn Hellebuyck
Mr. Richard Hill
Mr. and Mrs. John Hummon
Mr. and Mrs. Ben Phillips
Mr. and Mrs. Ernie Block
Ms. Joanne Monier Underwood
Ms. Susan Gremel
Mrs. Kay Richardson
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Mayes
Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Mayes
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Harris
Ms. Molly Dando
Mr. Bernie Sullivan
Mrs. Ruby Maschke
Ms. Mary Jacob

Thank You,
Angels!

WOMEN

WOMEN
A multi-media retrospective
based on an essay by
William Lyon Phelps