Wild Rose Community Band July 1 Concert to Kick Off Independence Day Week
The Wild Rose Community Band will hold its First Annual Mid-Summer Concert at 7:00 PM on Sunday evening, July 1, in the air-conditioned Wild Rose School Auditorium, Euclid Street, Wild Rose. The event is titled “A Musical Birthday Party for our Nation.” It will feature highlights from several movies and Broadway productions, including Titanic, Pirates of the Caribbean, My Fair Lady, Camelot, and of course, The Music Man. It will also feature lively marches and traditional tunes to honor our country’s Independence Day. The concert is expected to last approximately an hour.
The concert will be the debut for the band’s newest director, Mr. Gregory Schaffer. Mr. Schaffer’s career has including teaching, directing and administrative positions with the Brown Deer School System, as well as several years directing adult bands in the Milwaukee area, including the Milwaukee Concert Band and the Milwaukee American Legion Band. Mr. John Jenks, Mrs. Mary Stepanek, and Mr. Tom Stepanek will also share the directing duties.
The band was founded in May of 2017, and performed last year at Wild Rose Days ‘Party on the Pond’, the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King, and the Wild Rose Auditorium. The April 7 concert was a big success, attracting an audience of over 120, and raising nearly $700 for the Wild Rose American Legion Post 370 Memorial Project. The July concert will have no admission charge, though a free will collection will be taken to assist in offsetting the band’s ongoing expenses for rental of instruments and music.
The band’s roster currently includes over 50 musicians from all over the area, including the communities of Wautoma, Waupaca, Wild Rose, Poy Sippi, Pine River, Red Granite, Neshkoro, Weyauwega, and Westfield. Current members range from teens to octogenarians and new members are always welcome. Rehearsals are held in the Wild Rose Schools Band Room each Thursday evening, 6:30-8:00 PM (Door ‘J’, Euclid Ave.). For more information about the band or about the July 1 concert, feel free to send an email to brownlowod@gmail.com, or call Chuck, 920-851-0271.