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The setting sun’s dusky streaks pierce through the valley’s haze of baseball dust as the Glenn Miller Band finishes tuning and begins the unforgettable strains of “Moonlight Serenade.” Suntanned, romantic couples gather around friendly, glass-tinkling tables and begin swaying to the lilting music, eagerly anticipating an exciting evening - more special than they then can realize. Late-arriving couples hurry through the towpath’s Chinese lantern mosaic as the last squeals from the swimmer’s beach are fading out. The lake’s mirrored water, darkly dotted by a few boats, gently shimmers the gradually appearing cottage’s lights. The delicious blend of smells from the lake’s water, trees, picnic shelter cookouts, and the rich, nearby river imprint the memory as few events can. Couples dance through the night, now able to hold each other as closely as they feel, stealing kisses, with some falling in love for the first time, all to the glorious sounds of the big bands that until now they’ve only heard on scratchy records or staticky radio. And what top flight bands: Stan Kenton, Duke Ellington, Les Brown, Billy May, Benny Goodman, Johnny Long, Sammy Kaye, Lionel Hampton and Woody Herman.
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