To Our Community,

Belmar Arts Center was founded in 2004 and the town of Belmar has given us its total support from our very beginnings and is about to celebrate its 150th Anniversary. We at Belmar Arts Center would like to say thank you in a way that reflects our appreciation for their 18 years of generosity, support, and partnership. We have come up with an idea that will live beyond the sesquicentennial birthday celebration and contribute to life, music, and art in Belmar for years to come.  

One of Belmar’s most acclaimed but least acknowledged former citizens, -David Sancious, David grew up on “E” Street near 10th Avenue. He graduated from Belmar Elementary School where, with his mother’s additional tutoring, he learned to play piano. As a teenager, David met another teen at a coffee house in Asbury Park called “Upstage” and formed a band that practiced in David’s mother Stelma’s basement. That Freehold teen was, of course, Bruce Springsteen. The band that formed in Stelma Sancious’s basement needed a name, so they called themselves “The E Street Band” and the rest, as they say, is history.

We at the BAC would like to honor David and his mother by purchasing and installing a weatherproof piano in their honor in Pyanoe Plaza, the de facto town center of Belmar. Long after the dedication and anniversary celebrations are over, having this public piano will open the door to innumerable opportunities to bring live music to the center of town year-round.

A committee is being set up to achieve this goal. We are looking for a few creative, talented, dedicated folks to join us. If interested, please email us at [email protected]. Our first meeting will be June 2 at 6:30 PM at the BAC.

Thank You,
BAC Board of Trustees