Tuned In

On our program today we're going to be talking about Boone Big Band and also the annual Iowa Municipal Band Festival. It's going to be here before we know it. It's just for the Municipal Band Festival. Jill Lutz to talk about the Boone Big Band. Let's bottom line say for both of you, you get Wednesday off this week. Yes, no concert on Wednesday the first due to our patriotic concert on Saturday the fourth. So we have a day off. That's okay. It'll be kind of warm. We're hoping for a little cooler day. Dale, I know looking ahead we've got 34th annual Iowa Municipal Band Festival on July 11th. Yep. Herman Park Pavilion and I'm going to start. We'll hit on right away some of the things. Got some new bands coming this year. You always try to get a couple at least one or two new bands. You got three? Three. Okay. And you have obviously Ames which comes back. Boone which has been here for every concert of course. And a legacy band. I think there's one legacy in there. Always. Yeah. So let's a little bit about that. Give us a rundown. So and we'll remind folks again at the end about everything else going on with it. Okay. Well the lineup this year at 10 o'clock we have the Ames Municipal Band making their 33rd appearance. At 11 a.m. we've got the Iowa Western Community Band from Council Bluffs. This will be their third trip. Yeah. 12 noon we have the Nevada Community Band making their first appearance at the festival. At one o'clock we have the I know the Council Bluffs Wind Ensemble which I'm told is actually a fairly small band but they tell me they make a big sound so they wanted the main stage so they got it. Alrighty. At two o'clock we have another first time band the Ballard Creek Big Band which I happen to play and I will add they're from Huxley. All right. And I was going to say really their first appearance but I'm guessing you got a few other members that play in there that have probably done a few or been been to the festival a couple of times. Yeah. Well that band is also connected with the Ballard Community Performing Arts Association which also sponsors the Ballard Community Band which has been at the festival and quite a few times. But this is their first time here is the Ballard Creek Big Band. Wow. Yeah. In fact we've only been that band has only been performing for just over a year now. So okay. It's a new organization but we want to get the sound out. We're getting there. Yeah. Okay. Okay. That's two o'clock. Yeah. Three o'clock the Glenwood Community Band comes back to make their second appearance. They debuted last year and had such a good time they wanted to come back. So I know they had a great time. So I talked to a couple of people out of there that said they had played on a couple of different bands that had been here back but this is the first time for Glenwood and they had you know they had excellent performance. They did. So all right. Then at four o'clock we have the Heart of Iowa Band from Ames. They're making their eighth appearance. Five o'clock we have our legacy band the Urban Dale Community Adult Band. This will be 19 appearances for them. Yeah. And then of course last but not least at six o'clock the Boone Municipal Band 34th appearance. 34 years. Yeah. That's yeah. I remember back in the day when when the Ted and those guys put it together and Michael Bryan got it through the legislature to have the annual Iowa Municipal Band Festival in Boone. Herman Park Pavilion. What an iconic place for it too. Yeah. We have a lot of I guess I will say sometimes I struggle with publicity because I think it's well established and well known that we have the festival. We have it here the second Saturday in July. And I'm I do try new ideas for publicity but I also think it's well established enough. It has spoken for itself for the last few years. So you get in a lot of word of mouth from people that follow their community bands and do that. And you know this year difficult. Well first of all you got three first time ones. So you had some I mean you get your application you get different bands and they let you know that they're interested. They want to come here. Yeah. In fact I Nevada got in this year. They've been around that band's been around for a long time. But after last year's festival I got an email from one of the members of their band saying hey we'd like to be part of this. Can you can you let us be there this time. You know I remember I was in college and I remember someone playing for the Nevada Band when I was playing for the Boone Band. And so I do know they've been around for a while and just hasn't worked out. And I think those first time bands always kind of get first dibs because we want them to come. Mom have an opportunity have their fans and their supporters come. Exactly. And again we'll talk a little bit more about the food and everything else. Downside in the past historically we've had small groups that have done some performing that we won't have that this year. That just didn't turn out this year. So you never know who's going to show up. We might have somebody show up with a guitar and sit over there. I doubt it but what. Well you never know. Well right now it gets it gets pretty packed because really the performance by these bands is about 15 minutes. Right around 15 minutes is what they go for. And then it takes time for them to take down get their stuff moved out and then the next band to get their stuff moved in and start to get tuned up. So yeah well actually the stage bands do 45 minutes but yeah. So it's a it's a the transition is busy. I will say that it's busy. That's true. Jill let's talk a little bit about the Boone Municipal Band because yeah you get Wednesday off now. This means literally two weeks they haven't played a note. Yes but we'll still be fine. You've rehearsed okay. We'll pull out those patriotic favorites for the Fourth of July concert. Okay again same. Herman Park Pavilion. We're talking 730. And do we know will the Boone Veterans Council or are they going to be there. Yep they'll have their grilled meal. That's been a part of things for a number of years here. I will say we will be missing our director. Chris, Chuck and Miller it will be out of the country. Oh who could miss Chris. So we will be he's has a sister getting married in Germany so he's going to Germany for that. Okay well okay there are those family obligations. And it's a number of well we had a family anniversary at the last time. That's correct and a number of band members are band directors in different bands across central Iowa. So I believe you know. It wasn't too hard was it to get people to fill in. Right so there'll be four or five of them doing a song or two each and I can run down our lineup here for the Fourth of July if you're interested in knowing what patriotic songs are on the list. Let them know what's coming. Right gonna start with left right march and then we're going to do where Eagles soar. Then we're going to go into the Music Man the musical Medley from the Musical. We'll do Sea Wise March again. Oh yeah. There's a Captain America March and then we'll go into Stars and Stripes Forever and an Armed Forces Salute where we recognize different members of the Armed Forces. We'll do Cumberland Cross, Hosts of Freedom March and then we will close every concert like we do with America the Beautiful. Sure. And we open every concert with Star Spangled Banner so that will be the opener. Can people sing along? Oh sure yes yes of course. I had people ask me is it okay if I sing along? Yeah go right ahead. I don't sing well so I'm not doing it but I know but that's regular and each director obviously they've done these before and they're part of the band so they know. Yeah and we'll have a practice. Do they fight over who's going to get to do what? I think Chris assigned it so anyway he didn't want any in-fighting but we'll practice it on Monday as well and we'll yeah. And that's the one thing like the beginning of the year we talked about. We have we have a lot of band directors that do participate in the festival. That's right so they can step up and take the baton for a song or two. So and of course I said you get like two weeks off because the Boone Big Band played last week. Yes and then we will be the 4th of July concert just due to the timing of things. We're not probably going to rebroadcast that on KWBG. It might be a little tight. It's a little tight on the turnaround. Those rebroadcasts are at 11 a.m. on Sundays and they're also available as special podcasts on our website but we will pick up with the concerts then we only have two concerts while we have 4th of July. Yeah we have two Wednesday concerts and our festival so those two Wednesday concerts are July 8th and July 15th and then we are done. We are yeah we're not playing through the month of July so. Oh no it's going to be hard to fill in our where you're from. Yeah there so. So anyway that is this is certainly the second half of our season and kind of a big second half with the 4th of July and the festival but usually the band members are you know we've spent a lot of time and energy on things and. It's about time. It's about time to take a little summer break. Yeah summer vacation and and again as we said like the big band played here I know Chris got a chance to actually play right and he actually got to do a do a selection when he wanted to do so and Tammy let him do it. I started to listen to that but we'll I'll need to listen to it in its entirety because it's great music and I know Dale again is part of that group. He's solo. Toe tappers and songs you know. He's soloed so. Okay I'll have to go back and listen to it so. Yeah he did. Let's talk again the municipal band festival of course is coming up on the 11th so one of the things that people can come and go as they please Dale. Right. And that's been one of the big things of this because you do have people from out of town that come in they may come in early and sit through the first band before their bands on or they might actually get a couple of bands that might sit through a performance or two before they take the stage. Absolutely. We do we do have a group that's providing some food I'm guessing that's one of the big things there. Yep. Sandwiches, pie, ice cream, drinks things like that. Once again that'll be the Masonic Lodge just from Boone and Ogden who will be in charge of that. Okay so they stepped up to help with that. Yes. And we can do this. Yeah. I think half of them like sitting out there in the shade listening to the music though. They were pretty busy over there and stuff. Yeah. Obviously I know they get the picnic tables get moved around a little bit because of that moving some of those into the food court but we still have plenty of space and lawn chairs seem to be the preference for most people. More comfortable that way. I'm sure. And they can and we've got the bleachers and the things like that too so for those that are coming and going not a problem. You're still going to have some shuttle opportunities around there. I know that's one of the things you usually run a couple of golf carts or other similar vehicles to take people to and from their cars since parking can be a little bit of a challenge around there so yeah that we do provide that service for folks so they don't have to walk long distances especially if that's a difficulty for them. Yeah. And we have had we've had warm weather in the past. We've had some rainy weather in the past. We've had some gorgeous weather in the past. We'll go for the gorgeous weather if we can get that. That would be great to have the weather like we've had this week so. Yeah. That would be nice. Put in that order and we'll see what happens. It is July though. Yeah. Well hopefully next week's weather will those forecast will get itself out of its system by then. Burn out and leave us here. OK. The again 34th annual Iowa Municipal Band Festival again that's going to be now and I have over the last few years had a chance to some of the people many years ago that may have been performing in a band that's been here or still come they'll still come around or they come there. You know I knew this was going on but it's been five six seven years since I've been here. Some things don't change. They still come and like to sit and listen. Yeah. We like to like to that. A lot of again a lot of activity coming up again. Let's talk about the bands that are going to be there again in the schedule starts at 10 in the morning and Ames gets usually started pretty much right on and they usually have some vocalists and everything else they bring a show. Oh yes. Yeah. So Ames Municipal Band is going to be 10 o'clock and again the only one they've missed was pandemic year. Yeah 21. So who else we got. Iowa Western tell us a little bit about them. Well this will be their third appearance from Council Bluffs. They were last year I think three years ago and did a nice job so look forward to having them back. Okay. Then our first appearance is you got three in a row. Correct. We got Nevada Community Band at 12 noon. We've got Council Bluffs Wind Ensemble at one o'clock and then at two o'clock the Ballard Creek Big Band from Huxley. All right. Coming back from last year Glenwood Community Band at three. Yep. And they did a great job last year and I'm sure they will again this year. All right. Ames Heart of Iowa Band from Ames. A little different group. Was this one of the older groups? They used to call themselves the Heart of Iowa Senior Band. They dropped the senior word out of their name a couple of years ago. Okay. And they've also gone through another director change here recently. In fact they have directing them for the first time this year will be Tammy Kaufman who's another member of the Boone Municipal Band and also plays in the Ames Municipal Band. So she'll be busy and she plays in the Ballard Creek Big Band too. I was going to say yeah because she did her Boone Big Band when they were two. Yeah. Well some folks just like to play. Yeah. And she's one of them too. Yep. Pretty sure her husband's there too. Oh yeah. He's in some of the stuff too. So Heart of Iowa Band will be at four. We're winding it down. Our legacy band, Irvindale. They have 19. This will be their 19th appearance. They always bring a good concert and it's been a few years since we've seen them so we're glad to have them back. I was going to say I think it was a couple of years ago that I ran into a couple of people that had been members of the Irvindale Band and they hadn't been playing or had moved moved away for one reason or another. They just happened to be in Boone and they said oh yeah we used to come here and play. So 19th appearance for them and of course we wrap it up with a Boone Municipal Band. Yes. We'll get all done and we don't we don't know what kind of but well I'm pretty sure Chris is he has a tendency to repeat some of your better things that were done this year. It's like a best of or a highlight show. He'll bring back some of the favorites and and again Fourth of July concert again 730. 730 Herman Park Pavilion so come and listen to some patriotic favorites followed by the City of Boone fireworks. All right they have to go down south to see that. Yep you would have to travel a little south to see that. But that's okay you're done in ample time. Yes we are. Easily. I really appreciate you taking time to come in and talk about what's going on with our regular Boone Municipal Band. No concert or no program on Wednesday this week but again patriotic concert coming up on Saturday the 4th. Yes. And then we've got a regular concert what 8th. 8th and 15th. Two more Wednesday concerts after that. And then of course the 34th annual Iowa Municipal Band Festival that is going to be held on Saturday July 11th. Herman Park Pavilion see you there. See you there. Rain or shine.