By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Municipal Band will have a special joint concert Tuesday night at 8:00 pm at their new location in Carey Park between the Hutchinson Zoo and the Homebuilders' Shelter.
"We're going to call this band concert the sixth of July, featuring the Kansas National Guard and the Hutchinson Municipal Band," said Charles Johnston with the band. "It's going to be fabulous. There's great patriotic music planned by both the band and the National Guard Band."
The Hutchinson Municipal Band and 35th Infantry Division Band have been in discussions regarding a joint concert since 2018. In 2019, the concert, scheduled initially for Dillon Nature Center, was rained out. COVID-19 caused the cancellation of the 2020 concert.
"They do all of the physical training and then, instead of practicing weaponry, they go practice their instruments, which I think is fascinating," Johnston said. "I just am so excited for Hutchinson to be able to see them and, by the way, this is a preview for when they are going to be here in September, because they're at the Kansas State Fair for September 11th."
The live performance will feature a set of selections performed by the Hutchinson Municipal Band, including the Star Spangled Banner and other numbers, for 15 minutes at the beginning of the concert. Next, the 35th Infantry Division Band will play patriotic selections, marches, and popular music in their 30-minute segment of the program. Finally, the two bands will combine into one large ensemble to play Carmen Dragon's America, the Beautiful, the military branch standard Armed Forces Salute, and John Philips Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever. The evening for the musicians will start around 6 p.m.
"We'll actually be rehearsing down in the park at our usual time," Johnston said. "We'll rehearse for 30 minutes. We'll do a joint rehearsal with the Army band for about 30 minutes and then we'll take an hour."
As a part of an ongoing partnership, the Hutchinson Zoo will be open to welcome concert-goers on July 6 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. There is a suggested donation of $2 per person or $5 per family for admission to the zoo. The concert is free.