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Bethel Lakeside Music salutes first responders

By Carol Montana
Posted 9/9/21

At the concluding concert of its fifth season, Bethel Lakeside Music performed a well-attended salute to first responders, repeating its highly successful event from 2020.

Moreen Lerner is the …

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Bethel Lakeside Music salutes first responders

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At the concluding concert of its fifth season, Bethel Lakeside Music performed a well-attended salute to first responders, repeating its highly successful event from 2020.

Moreen Lerner is the manager of the Bethel Local Development Corporation, a major sponsor of the weekly summer concert series. She said the concert is “in honor of our first responders who have done an amazing job not only in Sullivan County, but they have gone above and beyond their roles and duties.”

The several guest speakers included Supervisor of the Town of Bethel Dan Sturm, Sullivan County Fire Coordinator John Hauschild, EMS Coordinator and Director of the 911 Center Alex Rau and David Rosenberg, Bethel Lakeside Music emcee and coordinator.

Sturm said the tribute concert was a “great way to send our thanks to all the first responders for everything they do for us every single day … I get to stay in my bed and go to sleep while they go out and do what they do every single night. We cannot thank you enough.”

“It’s so important to have these tributes,” said Hauschild, “because these brave men and women that dedicate their time to help others, they don’t get a thank you. We don’t do it to get a thank you, but a little tribute like this goes a long way.”

Hauschild explained that “A lot of people don’t realize what first responders do. When the pager goes off, they leave. No matter if you’re at your child’s birthday party, anniversary dinner, a holiday celebration … it could be 95 degrees out or 20 degrees below zero. This thank you that you’re giving us tonight means a lot.”

Sullivan County’s Fire Coordinator also told the hundred-plus audience, which included Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther and several other county officials, that a recruitment and retention task force has been started to get new members for fire departments and ambulance corps.

“You don’t have to rush into a burning building,” he said. “There’s something to do for everybody.”

Performers at the tribute concert included Dorothy Wagner and Dennis Smith of Aerial Acoustics, a duo that has performed at the White House, followed by Robert Tellefsen and Company. The performance concluded with a sing-along of “This Land is Your Land” by all the performers along with David Rosenberg and Debbie Fisher. And at the very end, Mobilemedic’s Albee Bockman sang “God Bless America.”

It was an evening of talent and applause by a grateful public for all emergency personnel who strive to keep us safe. EMS Coordinator Alex Rau summed it up nicely. “I am proud of the service of EMS professionals every day."

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