The Monmouth Municipal Band is celebrating their 95th season this year. Joy Boostrom shares a little of the history on how the band got started:
“I was able to get my hands on a scrapbook that was done by Jane Smith. She and her son Tim and I think her daughter also, played in the band for a long time. Tim was our Business Manager, and he had his mom’s scrapbook from the 50th anniversary of the band. The band really dates back to 1913, and it was known at the 3M Band. There are questions on whether it was the Monmouth Mining and Manufacturing who sponsored the band or if it was Monmouth Merchants and Manufacturers, but in 1920 there was a fire at the Mining and Manufacturing plant. So, there was a little lack of time and then in 1930, there were two men, Ronald Swanson, who I think was the first Band Manager, and W.B. McMillan, they organized the Maple City Band. The state of Illinois actually passed and act in 1925, which allowed a very teeny tiny band tax that a community could have, and they could get financial support from their local municipality. So, the Maple City Band become the Monmouth Municipal Band in 1930.”
To celebrate their 95th season, the Monmouth Municipal Band has six remaining performances throughout the summer: Thursday, June 5th at 6 pm at the First United Methodist Church, Thursday, June 12th at 6 pm at the First Lutheran Church, Thursday, June 19th at 7 pm at Harmon Park, Thursday, June 26th outside Wallace Hall on the Monmouth College campus, Friday, July 4th at the Monmouth Municipal Airport at 8:30 am, and then at Strom Center on Thursday, July 10th at 7 pm.
