Of the 67 bugle calls published by Carl Fischer, I have sounded six in public, plus “Echo Taps.” But until the morning of Saturday, 12 July 2025, at a memorial service, I had never had the opportunity to perform “Church Call.” The service was for Merlin D. Staatz at Open Door Baptist Church in Lynnwood (https://opendoorbaptist.com/). My “Church Call” opened the service, and my “Taps” helped close it.
In the afternoon, I sounded “Taps” for Gerald “Jerry” L. Seldon, Sr. at Nile Shrine Center in Mountlake Terrace (https://nileshriners.org/). It was a Masonic service, the second one in which I’ve ever participated. Inscribed on the statue in front of the clubhouse is this: “A man never stands so tall as when he stoops to help a Child.”
Each ceremony attracted about 100 friends and relatives. They were honorable men who served our country and on whose shoulders we stand. Regrettably, I know nothing of Seldon’s military service. Staatz was born in 2026 and was 99 years old when he passed in June. According to the program, he “served in the Philippines during the last year of World War II, sleeping in foxholes and leading his unit as a scout as they tried to take back the island of Luzon, one hillside at a time. He was awarded a Purple Heart. A week after Japan surrendered, he was stationed near Tokyo.”
At each of these two events, the flag presentation ceremony was performed by the Color Guard of the Shoreline unit of the U.S. Volunteers-Joint Service Command (USV-JSC) (https://www.usvjsc.org/). With these two, my “Taps” performances now total 245. I use my Getzen bugle.
L to R: Bugle, Pocket Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Trumpet, and Cornet
On this Independence Day, I finally got to perform one of my six trumpet shows at La Conner Retirement Inn. In 2022, I was scheduled to perform “I Stand for the Flag,” on Flag Day in June, but Covid struck in March, and we cancelled that show. Then the Activities Director, Allie Kester, booked me for a Christmas show, and we had to cancel that one, too. This year, we hit paydirt. On 4 July, I performed “I Stand for the Flag” for the residents during their Friday afternoon Happy Hour.
The Inn offers both Independent and Assisted Living accommodations and services. Allie proudly told me that they have three residents who are 100 or more years. The oldest one to attend my show is 98, and I dedicated “You’re a Grand Old Flag” to her. She and others liked to sing along to some of my patriotic songs and marches. The audience voluntarily stood while they sang “God Bless America,” and stayed standing while we said the “Pledge of Allegiance” and closed with “The Star-Spangled Banner.” It was an extra-special performance for me because my youngest son from Las Vegas happened to be visiting in nearby Oak Harbor and came to hear me play for the first time. He helped with the handouts and reloading my car. We shared dinner afterwards.
I used all five instruments and used my flugelhorn mute once. The bugle and trumpet are Getzens, the pocket trumpet is a Jupiter, the flugelhorn is by ACB (Austin Custom Brass), and the cornet is a Super Olds, given to me by my parents when I became a freshman in high school in 1954. This show features about two dozen patriotic marches, songs, and bugle calls.
After sounding bugle calls in the morning at the Memorial Day ceremony, 26 May 2025, at Veterans Park in Lynnwood, I drove to (formerly) Edmonds Landing Retirement Community in Edmonds in the afternoon to perform my one-hour trumpet show, “I Stand for the Flag.” It consists of about two dozen patriotic marches, songs, and bugle calls. The residents sing along with me.
I have six one-hour trumpet shows. During this one, I use all five of my horns: Getzen trumpet and bugle, Jupiter pocket trumpet, ACB (Austin Custom Brass) flugelhorn, and Olds Super cornet (71 years old, given to me by my parents when I became a freshman in high school).
Photos courtesy of Edmonds Landing by Cogir. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.
Large crowd stands for the Invocation at Veterans Park, Lynnwood
To me, Memorial Day is always special, apart from its main purpose–to remember those veterans who gave their lives in service to our country. I’m one of the lucky ones who get to perform at this special memorial ceremony! And not only that, I get to sound bugle calls. And more than that, one of them is “Echo Taps”. And on top of that, the other two are “Assembly” at 11 a.m. to call the meeting to order and “To the Color” as the flag is raised at noon from half-staff to full staff. And such it was this Memorial Day, celebrated on Monday, 26 May 2025.
Joining me to sound the “Echo” part was Jasper Stutes, a senior trumpeter at Lynnwood High School. Among the other participants were the VFW Post 1040 Honor Guard, the Nile Shrine Legion of Honor, and Boy Scout Troop 49. I’m sure those participants felt as lucky, proud, and honored as I did.
I used by Getzen bugle–love that horn!
Photos by Julia Wiese, Lynnwood Today. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.
Glenn LedbetterBoy Scout Troop 49Jasper Stutes (background)Nile Shrine & VFW Post 1040Navy Veteran & Navy FlagVFW Post 1040 Honor Guard
On Saturday, 24 May 2025, I traveled to Renton to perform my one-hour trumpet show, “I Stand for the Flag,” for the first time at Solstice Senior Living (please see https://solsticeseniorlivingrenton.com/). It is a Provincial Senior Living Community, headquartered in Arlington, Texas. They operate about 70 retirement communities across the country. Others in Washington state include Bellingham, Normandy Park, Point Defiance (Tacoma), and Kennewick. At Renton, Independent Living is offered, with the support of health care professionals, when needed.
I entertained the residents with about a dozen patriotic marches, songs, and bugle calls. They sang along with me and laughed at my jokes. I used all five of my horns: trumpet, pocket trumpet, cornet, bugle, and flugelhorn.
I’ve performed at 32 different retirement communities in the Greater Seattle area, and Quail Park is unique in a good way. Of course, every community is unique, but I’m thinking of Quail Park’s private, hilltop location and its eight different floor plans:
2 bedroom/2 bath cottage with garage (1,616 s.f.)
2 bedroom/2 bath apartment (787-1,072 s.f.)
1 bedroom/1 bath apartment (592-794 s.f.)
Studio bed/1 bath apartment (411-603 s.f.)
Private Studio Suite – Studio bed/1 bath (377-399 s.f.)
Tribute Studio Suite – Studio bed/1 bath (374-469 s.f.)
Tribute Adjoining Studios – Studio bed /1bath (374 s.f.)
Adjoining Studios-Lynnwood – Studio bed/1 bath (352-420 s.f.)
For diagrams of the different layouts and to match each floor plan with the four lifestyles (assisted living, enhanced assisted living, independent living, and memory care), please see the website, http://www.livingcarelifestyles.com/quail-park-lynnwood.
So, it was a privilege to perform for the residents in their beautiful auditorium on 12 November, one day after Veterans Day. In my VFW uniform, I performed my one-hour trumpet show, “I Stand for the Flag.” As usual, I used my five horns to play about two dozen patriotic marches, songs, and bugle calls. I love to match each instrument—trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, bugle, and pocket trumpet—to the character and mood of each different piece.
This is my second performance at Quail Park. The first was on 22 December 2019, before the Covid pandemic. I presented my Christmas show, entitled “Things Remembered.” In addition to these two, I have four other different shows. I look forward to returning in 2025, God willing. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Veterans Day, 11 November 2024, found me in Bellevue for my third performance at The Gardens at Town Square retirement community. That afternoon, I presented my one-hour trumpet show, “I Stand for the Flag” to a large, generous audience.
Actually, I have two versions of this show. In 2021, after the Covid Pandemic peaked, I performed the “talk version.” In this show, I not only play patriotic marches, songs, and bugle calls, but also, I talk about veterans’ current well-being, concerns, and activities. But this year, I performed the “standard version”–about two dozen pieces of music with a bit of talk to introduce each piece. The audience sings along as I play my five horns: Getzen Eterna Severinsen trumpet, Super Olds cornet, Austin Custom Brass (ACB) flugelhorn, Getzen bugle, and Jupiter pocket trumpet.
We had such a great time that I look forward to returning sometime in 2025, God willing. I have six different trumpet shows, so there’s plenty to choose from. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Lobby, courtesy of Fairwinds, Brighton Court, Lynnwood
Veterans Day generated three gigs for me, and the first one was at Fairwinds, Brighton Court in Lynnwood on Saturday, 9 November 2024—two days before the actual Veterans Day (11 November). The other two performances will be covered in forthcoming blog posts.
I’ve now performed at 32 retirement communities, including many repeat appearances, throughout the Greater Seattle area. Fairwinds, Brighton Court is now the leader with six performances. My first trumpet show there was in 2018.
On this occasion, I appeared in my VFW uniform and presented my one-hour show, “I Stand for the Flag.” The audience was large and quite responsive. I used five horns: trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, bugle, and pocket trumpet. The show consists of about two dozen patriotic marches, songs, and bugle calls. The audience sings along.
I look forward to returning for a seventh time in 2025, God willing. I offer six different shows, so next time could be entirely a different experience for the residents. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Almost every Flag Day (14 June), I get to perform my one-hour trumpet show, “I Stand for the Flag.” This year, I did so at a brand-new community, Cogir of Kirkland, located near Carillon Point. It opened last February, offering assisted living services.
Among the residents who attended was a couple celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary. He used to play trumpet, and she used to play the French horn.
My show consists of about two dozen patriotic marches, songs, and bugle calls. I use four horns: Getzen trumpet, Olds Super cornet, Getzen field trumpet (bugle), and Jupiter pocket trumpet. Residents sing-a-long with me on certain songs.
Cogir Senior Living operates nearly 70 facilities in 11 states. In Washington, it has 18, ranging from Spokane to Walla Walla to Vancouver to Everett to Bellevue. Collectively, Cogir’s services include independent living, assisted living, connections care, memory care, and respite care, but most facilities offer one or two of these five levels of care. Together, these communities are staffed with more than 3,700 skilled, compassionate team members (please see https//:cogirusa.com).
On Memorial Day this year, I sounded four bugle calls:
MorningStar Senior Living at Silver Lake, Everett
“Assembly” and “Echo Taps” at the ceremony hosted by VFW Post 1040 at Veterans Park in Lynnwood.
“Taps” at the retirement community, MorningStar Senior Living at Silver Lake, in Everett.
“Taps” at the Seattle Mariners baseball game at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
Judah Deuman, a senior trumpeter at Lynnwood High School, played the “echo” part of “Echo Taps” with me.
Veterans Park, Lynnwood
These were very significant, “comeback” performances for me. I had not played in public for the past five months.
In my previous blog article, I divulged that during last December, I was having trouble playing my horns. My orthodontist predicted that I should be able to play my horns again by Memorial Day. Sure enough, it happened!
Now, what else could happen? Sciatica, that’s what. While sounding “Assembly” during the morning ceremony in Lynnwood, I discovered I could not hold a steady tone while standing, due to my lower back pain. So, for the rest of the day, I sounded “Taps” while seated on my walker and did just fine.
Who said that old age is just a number? Well, if that’s true, then jail is just a room.
The privilege of sounding “Taps” at the Mariners game that evening is presented in my next blog article.
Glenn's Trumpet Notes 