The City is one step closer to naming a section of Marine Stadium Park in memory of Long Beach Municipal Band Conductor Larry Curtis after Tuesday’s unanimous council vote.
“Larry was instrumental in the success of the municipal band, always advocating for the continuation of this amazing part of our City which is the country’s longest-running municipal band,” a statement from Councilmember Suzie Price said.
Curtis conducted the municipal band’s summer concerts for 27 years until his death in June 2020. According to Price, he led the band for nearly 700 concerts.
“These concerts served to bring thousands of residents together on a weekly basis in friendship, and highlight the beauty our City has to offer,” Price’s statement said.
A proposed park flag sign is estimated to cost $2,300, according to a document from Price’s office. The funding source has not yet been identified.
Price noted that a survey conducted in her council district garnered 760 responses from residents, with over 93% of them in support of the proposal.
Long Beach resident Dennis Houlihan is one such supporter, who first heard the band led by Curtis in the Summer of 1994 and let the music carry him to Marine Stadium—literally.
“I didn’t know what it was but I thought, ‘I want to find the neighbor who’s playing good music at a reasonably loud volume so I just followed the music,’” Houlihan said. “I just kept going and the farther I went, the louder that it got. Suddenly I see all these people, thousands of people, lots of cars parked, and this incredible band.”
Houlihan developed a friendship with Curtis from that day forward.
“To honor his legacy, to honor his memory and to recall the thousands of positive impressions that he made on the quality of family life in Long Beach is a unique opportunity for us,” Houlihan said.
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia fondly recalled the multiple occasions in which Curtis allowed him to conduct the band and called the naming “fitting.”
Councilmember Al Austin lamented not being able to recognize Curtis’s legacy upon his death due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“I think this is a fitting way to recognize him, and know that his name will be associated with the city of Long Beach in perpetuity,” he said.
Echoing the outpouring of support was Curtis’ son, Kurt Curtis.
“To say he loved the band would be an understatement,” he said. “But more so, he loved that it meant so much to so many in our community.”
The renaming will be forwarded to the Marine Advisory Commission and the Government, Personnel and Elections Oversight Committee for consideration.
