MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – A lower Michigan band is back in the U.P. to support a historic theater.
But before you hear the story about the band’s show in Marquette, you need to hear the band’s history, which stretches more than 6 decades.
Like most people in the 1960s, Bernie Rosendahl and his friends were inspired by what they saw on tv.
“We were very influenced by the Beatles of course, when they first came on the Ed Sullivan show on Sunday night,” remarked Rosendahl.
Like most guys during that time they formed a band. The group debuted in 1968 under the name Franklin Park. The band was an “All-Star” team of sorts made up of musicians from Holland. The band saw success, they won the battle of the bands and competed in the state wide competition.
“Everybody wanted to be in a band, and so there were a number of bands playing in Holland, Michigan at the time, and we played a lot of shows, probably 100,” added Rosendahl.
But unfortunately like most bands, time passed, and life came along. After 2 years the group played their final show at Macatawa Bay Yacht Club in the Summer of ’69.
“We were all heading to college in different towns so we knew it wasn’t gonna happen,” commented Rosendahl when asked why the band split up.
Unlike most bands, Franklin Park made a comeback. 41 years after the “last” performance the guys performed at their highschool reunion in 2010. Since then they haven’t stopped playing.
“We get together every spring, tune up the show, and add some new songs to it,” said Rosendahl.
For the third year in a row the band is playing at the Lake Superior Theater in Marquette. A trip that they pay for themselves, and donate all of the proceeds from the show back to the Theatre.
“We all decided that because we were influenced by the arts and participated in for all these years we wanted to give back,” added Rosendahl.
Rosendahl says the band may not get paid in dollars to play the show but they still walk away richer.
“The fact that we get to do this together, we are humbled by it, and feel so lucky to be able to do this,” Rosendahl proudly stated.
