Municipal Band is observing its 40th anniversary this year; patriotic concert Sunday, July 4

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City Municipal Band, celebrating its 40th anniversary since being reformed in 1981, will present a concert of patriotic music beginning at 7:30 p.m. Sunday in Central Park.

The director is Justin Adam, the New Hampton High School band director, in his inaugural year with the Charles City band.

During the concert’s “Armed Forces Salute,” a representative of each of the five branches of the Armed Forces will stand, and those in the audience who served in that branch will be asked to stand with them.

The concert will last about an hour, leaving plenty of time for people to find a location to watch the fireworks.

Last year’s band season was curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic — the first year the band has missed playing since it started 40 years ago.

This year, because of continuing mitigation concerns, especially at the start of the rehearsal season, the band decided to concentrate on just one concert, instead of the usual three or four, and is putting all its efforts into the concert Sunday night in the park.

“We decided we would do one concert and see how it goes,” said municipal band board member and flutist Susan Jacob.

“We’ll find out how comfortable people are playing and attending in a large group,” she said.

The band has been holding weekly rehearsals since June 9 at the Charles City High School, and following the school’s COVID-19 rules, including masks starting out and bell covers on instruments.

The current version of the municipal band began in 1981, when a group of people got together to play with a visiting band from England, then decided it was so much fun they should continue playing together.

There had been municipal bands in Charles City before, going back to at least the 1920s and possibly earlier, and some of them were quite successful during their runs.

But likely none of them showed the 40-year persistence and popularity of the current iteration.

Doug Bengtson and Jacob were the instigators of the effort to reform the municipal band, having both been members of the University of Northern Iowa Marching Band.

There was a great deal of interest in forming a municipal band at the time, Jacob said.

Bengtson, then the junior high band director in Charles City, said it would be “a little bit of Americana” for America’s Hometown.

The municipal band began its first regular season in 1982 with six rehearsals, four concerts and 84 members.

Bengtson directed and was on the board. Jacob, Jody Flint, Dale Frank, Max Johns and Colin Robinson completed the original board.

The new band was under the auspices of the Charles City Parks and Recreation Department, but the department was reluctant to commit money to supporting the group until there was evidence of the community’s interest.

Flint remembers having to count the crowd members for proof of support.

“When we got up over 200, I quit counting because I figured that was enough,” she said, laughing.

The Park and Recreation Department continues to contribute toward the band’s budget, now giving $500 annually to help pay for the director’s salary and other expenses.

The director is the only member of the band who is paid. Instrumentalists are all volunteers.

A freewill collection at the July 4 concert also helps cover the band’s expenses.

Bengtson said his favorite memories of the municipal band center on its family theme.

As a band director himself, he had seen former students have children and, as their children grew up, discover their own instruments. That was the part of municipal band he enjoyed — that parents and even grandparents would play alongside their children.

“How interesting it was to see multiple generations in the band,” Bengtson remarked.

The band is open to anyone interested in playing.

Jacob said the band has done several novelty programs over the years, with characters from stories or music, such as “Teddy Bears Picnic,” where kids were asked to bring their teddy bears to the concert.

It has also featured professional guest musicians and many guest directors over the years.

The Charles City Municipal Band current board of directors is Jacob, Roxanne Johnson, Joel Thompson, Jake Gassman, Scott Nolte, Teresa Bertelsen and Scott Stroud.

— Editor’s note: Parts of this article were taken from a Press story on the 20th anniversary of the band.