“Taps Across Webster Lake,” started with a trumpet quartet performance. From left are Stacy Farber, Matt Murdock, Dave Wisler and Joel Matthews. Later, the musicians performed Taps, the military funeral call, from different points around the lake in a cascading fashion. InkFreeNews photos by David Hazledine.

By David Hazledine
InkFreeNews

NORTH WEBSTER — Trumpeters led by Matt Murdock and North Webster American Legion Post 253 color guard convened at North Webster Town Park Sunday, May 29, for “Taps Across Webster Lake,” a unique performance of the traditional bugle call played at military funerals, featuring several musicians playing in a cascading fashion from different points around the Lake.

The event started with brief speeches by Landon Porter, speaking on behalf of U.S congressman Jim Banks, and Larry Burkhart, American Legion second district commander.

“When liberty needed a savior, American soldiers were there,” said Porter, who went on to note that while Memorial Day is known for barbecues and days off work, it is “so much more,” rather it is a time to reflect on the fact “all gave some, some gave all,” and to “ensure their sacrifice was not in vain.”

Burkhart read a poem written from the point of view of an American soldier, one of those who “stood in the gap for us” so we may “live in a free country.”

Organizer Matt Murdock was first encouraged to play Taps as a young teenager on Memorial Day in 1977 by his father, a Korean War veteran, and he recalled seeing tears in the eyes of the veterans, many of whom were still very close to their experiences in Vietnam. He said he realized, “It was wasn’t about me … It was about every person that served.”

“Taps Across America,” was started by CBS in 2020, when over 4,300 musicians around the country performed at 3 p.m. on Memorial Day. Murdock has since begun organizing events on local lakes, including Lake Wawasee, where another performance occurred at dusk.

Murdock also speaks at schools about the history and significance of Taps, which was derived from an earlier bugle “tattoo” during the Civil War by Union General Daniel Butterfield. It was originally used to signal “lights out,” at the end of the day.

According to Murdock, the experience of performing Taps with other musicians in a cascading fashion mimics the ebb and flow of the water on the lake. He explained he plays slowly,  “with “reverence,” so he can hear the other performers and “take it all in as well.” The experience, he said, “Makes the hair stand up.”

One observer noted the call-and-response effect of the performance made it seem as if the melody “had no beginning or end.”

After the ceremony, a picnic was held at Town Park and donations were accepted for disabled veterans.

Speakers at the “Taps Across Webster Lake” event were Landon Porter, left, speaking on behalf of U.S Congressman Jim Banks, and Larry Burkhart, American Legion second district commander.

North Webster American Legion Post 253 color guard fired volleys prior to the performance of Taps.