Webster Village Band members George “Skip” Mayo, Sylvia Farnand, Barbara Midura, and Sylvia Hungerford listen as Mayor Darrell Byerts reads the proclamation.
Can I see a show of hands? How many people reading this right now know that the Village of Webster has a Village Band?
I’m hoping there are a lot of hands up out there. Because believe it or not, this year marks the 50th anniversary of our Webster Village Band, a fact that was recognized Thursday night at the Webster Village Board meeting.
Just about every Thursday during the summer, the band presents outdoor concerts at the band shell at Harmony Park on Phillips Road. Add to that several special performances at events like the Farmer’s Market and their annual Christmas concert, and that adds up to more than 600 concerts in the band’s long career.
Band member Barbara Midura with the plaque.
That’s pretty impressive for a group that started out with just 10 members in 1967. Today that number has grown to about 60, and the band has become a treasured village asset.
The proclamation presented on Thursday recognized all of this, plus its humble beginnings on a stage in a converted school bus. Several Village Band members were on hand to accept the recognition, which also included a congratulatory plaque.
You can read a little more about the Village Band in an Our Towns East Extra column I wrote about them in July, 2015.
The summer concert schedule has concluded, but there’s still one more chance this year to check out the band, at their annual Christmas concert. The date for this hasn’t been announced yet, but I’ll post it here when I find out, or you can keep checking the Village Band website.
Mayor Byerts mentioned that he was able to attend the band’s last concert of the summer, where he made several video recordings. He’s hoping to put them up on the village website, so stay tuned.
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