R. B. Hall Memorial Band to honor Selma Pulcifur at concert

The late Selma Pulcifur

by Jane Brogan

The R.B. Hall Memorial Band will present an outdoor concert at Waterfront Park, in Oakland, on Tuesday, August 13, at 6 p.m., to honor Selma Pulcifur, who passed away in December.

Selma was an institution, both in her community and among the countless musicians who were privileged to have known her over the years. She was the last surviving charter member of the R. B. Hall Memorial Band, where she played trombone for 55 years and served in various offices, including president.

In 2019, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the band, Sel­ma recounted in an interview that she began playing in 1944 when a friend told her the school band director needed a trombone. Selma laughed, “And I said, “What’s a trombone?” Selma fondly recalled, “I tried this old trombone, and, oh, it had the most beautiful tone, and I just fell in love with it.”

Selma played trombone for over 75 years, last performing with the R.B. Hall Band in the summer of 2022 at the Clinton Fair, a long-standing tradition and her favorite.

“I have to admit I’m getting older, but get me in a chair and I can play. I still have lots of wind. It’s natural.”

Sadly, the hot weather prevented her from performing at the fair in 2023, as she had hoped to do.

Selma’s final words in the interview were “I just hope I never have to give up the band. It’s been a very important part of my life.”

In gratitude for her contribution to keeping the community band tradition alive in Maine, the annual R.B. Hall Day festival, held in Bridgton this year, was dedicated to Selma.

The August 13 concert is free of charge. Audience members are asked to bring a lawn chair.

(The 2019 interview by Central Maine Newspapers is available on YouTube: “Selma Pulsifer plays on…”)