ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – This summer, the Escanaba City Band is celebrating 100 years of playing music for the community. On Wednesday, July 24, the festivities continue with a special event.
The band invites the public to a community picnic at Ludington Park, beginning at 5 p.m. There will be a large cake, and local food trucks will be on-site. The first 300 guests will receive $10 food vouchers.
At 7:30, the Escanaba City Band will perform a Centennial Celebration concert at the Karas Bandshell, but it will be much more than the band’s weekly performance. Mayor Mark Ammel will read an official proclamation that City Council has designated July 24 as “Escanaba City Band Day.” Ammel will also serve as this week’s ceremonial “first pitch” conductor.
“It’s a really great cultural institution within the city,” Ammel said of the City Band. “It’s the longest-running, as far as I can tell. Also, it’s a great way for young musicians like myself who come out of high school to spend a summer playing in a band. Oftentimes, when we graduate from our local marching bands, we’ll get recruited into the City Band to fill the seats. It’s a great opportunity to work with other professional musicians and get our first chance at playing outside of a school curriculum environment.”
The Escanaba City Band has also received the Louis & Virginia Sudler Historic Community Band Award from the John Philip Sousa Foundation. The award is given to American community bands that have existed continuously for 100 years or longer. The City Band will present the plaque they received from the foundation and perform a Sousa march titled “The Black Horse Troop.”
For more information on the Centennial Celebration and other upcoming events, follow the Escanaba City Band on Facebook. Click here for WZMQ 19’s full story on the Escanaba City Band’s 100th anniversary.
