Fake corpse, fake nun make this bash one of Delaware's most unique parties

She's the fake nun who will be leading a fake funeral procession with a fake body in a fake coffin on Bethany Beach's boardwalk Monday afternoon.

While some vacationers are jammed up in Labor Day traffic, "Sister" Marie Wright will be front and center at one of Delaware's wackiest end-of-summer events.

In terms of goofiness, the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral is equal parts Dewey Beach Running of the Bull and the former First State tradition of Punkin Chunkin — a spectacle that you have to see to believe.

In its 33rd year, the jazz funeral also features a trio of New Orleans-style Dixieland bands and a cadre of "mourners" dressed in black, wailing as they walk behind a makeshift coffin holding a mannequin that represents the summer of 2018.

Before Wright took over as the comedic force of the funeral eight years ago, that role belonged to the late Art Antal, an outgoing character who would dress as everyone from the pope to Batman.

Antal, who was chairman of the funeral, died in 2010 and new chairman Paul Jankovic knew the mock jazz funeral needed a fun-loving spark.

Because even with the bereaved shedding tears, the event is actually about celebrating the unofficial end of the summer, complete with string bands and dancing on the boardwalk.

That's when Wright stepped up.

She went to the Jokes R Wild costume store near New Castle in search of something that could work if she were to step in. When she saw a nun costume, "Sister" Marie was born.

"It's all about spreading joy," says Wright, who has a Bethany Beach summer house, but lives full-time in Oley, Pennsylvania. "Seeing the smiles on the faces of people and the dancing, it takes them away from everything for a moment."

On Monday, the smiles begin with a pre-funeral concert by the Downtown Dixieland Band at the bandstand at 4 p.m.

Then at 5:30 p.m., the procession begins at the north end of the boardwalk, accompanied by the Downtown Dixieland Band, along with two other jazz bands: the Dixie Cats and the Jazz Funeral Irregulars. That's a total of nearly 20 musicians combined.

Like the legendary jazz funerals of New Orleans, Bethany's is all about spectacle and music. Crowds line each side of the boardwalk to see the charade parade up close. Once at the bandstand, Wright and others give speeches before it concludes with a set by the Jazz Funeral Irregulars and plenty of dancing.

If the whole thing sounds ridiculous, that's kind of the point. And that's why about 2,000 people attend each year, some of whom use it as an excuse to wait out that nasty holiday weekend traffic.

Jankovic says Wright helped give the funeral a shot in the arm when it needed one.

"Art was really effervescent. He was the show. And I was downtrodden. I didn't know what we were going to do,'" he says. "And then she just sat down and said she had an idea.

"She's a natural, a true actor. It just blew me away."

Wright's turn as a religious sister doubles as tribute to her mother, who was raised Catholic and went to Catholic school. While Wright herself married Catholic, she is Methodist these days, although she still attends the Parish of St. Ann in Bethany Beach.

When she first put on the religious habit, her mother, Barbara, was ill with cancer and she thought becoming a nun would be a way to honor her.

And it worked.

The first time Barbara saw Wright in the costume came when she picked up The News Journal and saw a photo of Wright leading the funeral procession. She lit up.

"It really brought joy to her eye," says Wright, a senior risk control consultant for an insurance company. "She was beaming."

From then on, her mother would ask each summer if Wright would be playing "Sister" Marie, really getting into the event. Although she was never able to attend herself, Wright would send her photos and videos so she could see the spectacle.

After being a cancer survivor for seven years and surviving a stroke, Barbara passed in 2012 and now the annual event means even more to Wright.

Before she gets up on stage at the bandstand each year, she speaks to herself, sending her mother love, saying, "Mom, this one's for you, again."

For his part, the founder of the jazz funeral, Moss Wagner, 71, enjoys watching from his Colorado home as new generations of funeralgoers keep it thriving.

The event began in 1985 as an end-of-summer party thrown by Wagner for the employees of his Bethany Beach Ice Cream Parlor. Back then, the town was nearly deserted by late afternoon Labor Day and only his workers and a few friends and family attended.

Wagner, a former Bethany Beach vice mayor and town councilman, soon added string bands and an inflatable "corpse" dressed in purple with pennies taped to her eyes. Wagner was dressed as the "Not Too" Grim Reaper.

It grew organically from there, even after he moved away in 1996, eventually adding a silent auction. The auction is held the Friday before the funeral at Bethany Blues and raises funds for a different charity each year. This year's beneficiary is Sussex County Habitat for Humanity. 

"It was just a locals thing at the time and it's grown into a huge event," says Wagner, who attended the 20th edition in 2005, a solemn occurrence due to Hurricane Katrina's destruction just a week prior. "I'm glad it's still going because it's part of my legacy in that town, something that I contributed."

Current chairman Jankovic was working for the now-defunct Bethany Herald when he witnessed the first edition. And like many in a town proudly dubbed "The Quiet Resorts," his head turned.

"The first time they did it, I was thinking, 'What the hell is going on here? What's Bethany coming to?'" says Jankovic, who has been involved in one way or another since the beginning, always clad in his traditional tie-dye shirt.

And even though it's just a private group organizing a large-scale event, the town still supports the cause, not by financing it, but by providing its services.

"They don't need us and they are going way out of their way for a group of local idiots to have a little party for people — and that's basically what it is," he says. "We don't have any great message except to have fun."

With years as "Sister" Marie under her belt, Wright gets recognized everywhere from the Giant supermarket on Del. 26 to the boardwalk. And, yes, she has given plenty of blessings over the years at the funeral with spectators going up to her and saying, "Sister, I have sinned."

While there have been sprinkles of rain over the event's 33-year run, it has never been rained out.

And now with "Sister" Marie on their side, they don't expect their streak to ever be snapped.

Monday's forecast, by the way: partly cloudy clear with a high of 86.

Who says summer's dead?

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral and Silent Auction

WHEN: Monday, 5:30 p.m.

WHERE: Bethany Beach boardwalk

COST: Free

jazz-funeral.comINFORMATION:

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