(Crete, Neb.) The Blue River Community Band will perform its first concert of the summer, Christmas in June, on Thursday evening, June 25 at 7:30 p.m. in Doane's Heckman Auditorium. The concert will feature Christmas favorites for the whole family and Santa Claus will escape from the chill of the North Pole to make an unseasoned appearance. The concert is one of three summer events.
Entering its 17th summer season, the Blue River Community Band consists of 55 active members ages 12-85. The band performs for approximately 100 to 500 people at every concert. The late Robert Palensky, former director of the Crete High School Band, founded the Blue River Community Band in 1993.
According to Dr. Jay Gilbert, current band director, "The purpose of the community band is to provide a musical experience for the band members and to enhance the cultural life of our community. Secondly we wish to foster a sense of community involvement, particularly with our young citizens."
Gilbert points out community bands have been an American phenomenon since John Philip Sousa took his historical band around the United States. "The bands are a holdover from early 20th century when many towns had bands. They present an opportunity to transfer from one generation to another, some of the cultural symbols, like ‘America the Beautiful' and ‘Stars and Stripes'."
The Blue River Community Band will also perform on the Fourth of July at the College Heights Golf Course from 8-9:45 p.m. in conjunction with the Annual Sunrise Sertoma Independence Day Fireworks Display. And again on Saturday, July 11 at 4:00 p.m. for the Riverside Music Festival Old Time Band Concert, at the historic Jessie Bickle Farmstead in Crete. All concerts are free and open to the public.