ADULT LESSONS

2024 FLASH! Community

Thank You Letter

Chances are, if you’ve spent time in Blue Hill during the summer anytime during the past 30+ years, you’ve attended - or surely heard of - a Monday night steel band pan dance. Flash! In the Pans is a community steel pan band which performs weekly outdoor donate-what-you-can benefit concerts for local non-profit organizations across Downeast Maine from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The lively music celebrates the national instrument of the republic of Trinidad & Tobago and invites everyone of all ages to dance and mingle with friends and neighbors.

As we look back on another memorable and joyful summer, we would like to take a moment to share heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported this season of Flash! in the Pans performances at our regular spot in the Blue Hill Town Park and several other great local venues. A grateful shoutout to the Blue Hill Select Board for permission to play in the Town Park for many of our Mondays, to Northern Light Blue Hill Hospital for allowing use of their parking space, and to all the neighbors who joined us for the fun. And also a huge thank you to all our dedicated volunteer band members who juggle busy schedules, jobs, and families to bring their musical talent, community spirit, and special razzle-dazzle to every pan dance.

Continuing the tradition of collecting donations instead of charging admission, we raised over $26,000 for local area non-profits thanks to our generous audiences. We were also thrilled to welcome a few who were new to the pan dances, including the Lawrence Family Fitness Center (home to the Blue Hill branch of the Downeast YMCA), Families First Community Center, The Grand Theater, and the Woodlawn Museum. Donations helped over a dozen organizations support our community in so many important ways—including providing educational experiences and opportunities for students, helping to break the cycle of homelessness by equipping families with self-sufficiency skills, teaching children about healthy food choices, supporting local farmers, offering free meals and services to improve quality of life, supporting physical and mental health, raising awareness of ecological issues, promoting the literary, visual and performing arts, using arts and entertainment to foster social interaction and growth, preserving cultural heritage, and providing shelter and care for homeless animals. Donations also help raise funds for Peninsula Pan, the non-profit organization for Flash!, to help cover our operating expenses and provide money for scholarships.

In addition to our Monday night fundraisers, we enjoyed exciting opportunities to play at events like Atlantic Boat Company’s public appreciation Atlantic Boat Days, Gateway Milbridge’s outdoor stage Friday Night Live Summer concert series, and even a disco-themed pre-wedding party for a GSA alum! Flash! welcomed four new band members who played their first summer season with us, and we were excited to have several GSA students from the high school's steel band, Steel Revolution, join us as well.

We’re so grateful for another magical season and for everyone—residents and visitors alike—who help make it all possible. And we’ve got some exciting goals for the coming year, including welcoming new pan players, building a new website, and exploring options for a new tent to improve acoustics and better accommodate our growing band. As we say farewell to Summer 2024, we eagerly head back to the pan room at George Stevens Academy to practice every week until next season. Anyone interested in learning more about Flash! in the Pans or learning how to play the steel pan is encouraged to reach out to us through our website at flashinthepans.org.

Sue Hipsky and Susan Brookman, 2024 Flash! Co-Captains and
Martin Conte, Music Director