Our Past Is Present June 1, 2018

June 1, 2018

            You are reading “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.

            Each Sunday in June, the Junction City Community Band will be performing a concert of great band music beginning at 7:00 PM in the C.L. Hoover Opera House. Come and enjoy the music played by local musicians and members of the First Infantry Division Band.   The concerts are free and the Opera House is air conditioned for your comfort.

            And…. here’s a little history about the Junction City Community Band.  The first Junction City Municipal Band was formed in 1868 and had 13 members, only three of whom had played in a band before.  The group was called “The Junction City Cornet Band” and performed free weekly concerts during the summer in Heritage Park.  George Killian was the player-turned director until 1899.

            The band continued to perform in Junction City until 1963 despite a variety of funding problems.  In 1973, the bandstand in Heritage Park was demolished due to its unsafe condition.

            Under the direction of David Carlson, a summer city band played concerts in Heritage Park in the early 1990’s.  Following a park performance by the Junction City Dixieland Band in 1995, Mary Louise Stahl commented to the audience that Junction City needed a community band.  Local musicians in that audience showed an interest in performing and the junction City Community Band was organized to resume concerts in the park in 1996. 

            The band concerts were moved from Heritage Park to the C.L. Hoover Opera House in 2010, where the tradition of providing free concerts to the public has been maintained.

            The community Band relies heavily on the local school employees for directors and school students for players.  High school students and adults from Abilene, Chapman, Fort Riley, Milford, Riley and White City come together to make up the band.

            Remember, free band concerts each Sunday in June at 7:00 PM at the C.L. Hoover Opera House at 135 West Seventh Street in Junction City. 

            And.. thanks for reading today on “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.