Sounds of greetings between Newtown High School class members of the late 60s and 70s filled the Dickinson Park Pavilion, which served as a cool shelter from the heat of the afternoon sun, on Sunday, September 3.

The smell of summer barbecue favorites from Weenie Lynn’s food truck added to the summer atmosphere for the final reunion of Panacea, a band formed during the early 1970s by Newtown High School students.

Panacea reunited in 2013 to perform during The Great Newtown Reunion that summer. Following that event, the band has returned to perform at Dickinson Park on Labor Day weekend most years since. Even in 2021, the most recent performance by Panacea & Friends before this year’s finale, happened during a very rainy afternoon yet pulled in a very happy crowd to the performance area.

Before the headliner took the stage Labor Day weekend, The Willie Portera Trio — Tod, Jay Willie, and Tom Portera — offered an opening set.

Panacea did not give an introduction before they leapt into the good vibes of their set, comprised of arrangements of songs that defined the era of their adolescence.

The sound inspired one dancer immediately. Rick Warner, Class of 1975, reflected the energy of the band as he grooved to the music and sang along to the lyrics with contagious enthusiasm.

The popular 1970s NHS ensemble announced months ago that this year’s event, which regularly draws NHS alumni as well as some younger generations of fans, would be its last.

Gordon Thompson, who wore a Class of 1970 lanyard, attested he knew most people in the band growing up as he watched the set.

On this final reunion, Panacea members Leslie Ballard and her brother Corky, Jon Dodson, and Rick Kuhn came to represent. The performance additionally included guest musicians Christian Martirano, Tod Willie, Jim Lynch, Josh Ferguson and Jim Clark.

“They used to play here,” Thompson said of Panacea, recounting the recurring weekend music that took place at the park during his adolescence. “It was quite popular.”

“This is my music,” he continued, adding people his age usually would hear their music at the supermarket if anywhere else.

By Thompson’s comment, it would seem that many attendees may have happened across “their music” that day already. The band asked for donations to FAITH Food Pantry in lieu of ticket fare, and bags of goods filled and surrounded the designated table.

A few attendees also carried a Flat Bridget with them, celebrating and continuing to honor the late Bridget Seaman. An homage to Jeff Brown’s Flat Stanley book series, Seaman had adapted her own Flat Stanley to proudly wear a tie-dye shirt very similar to her own style and a set of eyeglasses. She also added the traditional Newtown Indians mascot and her name to the front of the shirt.

She was also a longtime fan of Panacea and a staunch supporter of the town’s nondenominational food pantry. Following Seaman’s sudden death in April 2021, Panacea dedicated the FAITH Food Pantry collections to her memory. Multiple copies of Flat Bridgets were photocopied and shared among the reunion guests that year.

As guests dropped off donations this year, they were thanked with stickers featuring Flat Bridget and the words I Donated!

Nick Steel also has fond memories of the concerts at Dickinson. He too was in a band, he said, called The Uncalled Four.

“It was thrilling. I was like a rock star,” Steel said. “We had a blast doing it.”

Former First Selectman and NHS alumnus Herb Rosenthal was in attendance for his reunion.

“It’s wonderful to see so many people that I haven’t seen in a long time,” he said, adding it was “great to see Panacea as great musicians as they were since they were kids.”

Panacea’s rendition of “California Dreamin’” drew numerous attendees to the dance floor in front of the band, singing the lyrics to each other. The cover heated up the set, the audience’s energy picking up from there.

Leslie Ballard’s flute stylings gave the band a special flair, giving the music a unique texture that seemed to belong only to itself.

Quite a few attendees enjoying the day also expressed sadness that their Panacea would no longer be performing. Some were sad for the loss of the music, others were sad about the loss.

“I’m a little heartbroken, seeing all these people coming out and enjoying themselves,” said Victor Ostuni, member of the Class of 1972. “Music moves people.”

Reporter Noelle Veillette can be reached at noelle@thebee.com.