Chester Municipal Band begins Summer Concert Series
<span>CHESTER - A more than 50-year tradition continues this summer with the beginning of the 2015 Chester Municipal Band Summer Concert Series.</span>
<span>The long-time summer treat began back in the simple days when a Tuesday evening band concert was a big deal.</span>
<span>That small town festivity is still going strong today with the weekly performances of the Chester Municipal Band.</span>
<span>Concerts used to be held on a wooden band stand that was attached to the back of the Randolph County Courthouse. When the courthouse was being rebuilt, concerts were moved to the Chester American Legion.</span>
<span>Behind the Legion Hall, American Legion officers built an official, multi-level concrete band stand complete with lights, steel railings and a storage area underneath. </span>
<span>The American Legion furnished the bandstand, chairs, electricity, a paved parking lot big enough to hold more than 75 cars, and a lot of fine hospitality.</span>
<span>John Birchler was still the band director during this era, which brought even more interest in school music programs and numbers rose in all school bands.</span>
<span>Along with this interest in school music programs came increased interest in being able to join the Chester Muni Band.</span>
<span>The municipal band soon became an excellent training ground for talented high school students and even an occasional grade school student.</span>
<span>After 20 years, however, attendance at the American Legion began to fall off with the advent of increased participation in summer sports, long-distance vacations, shopping malls and the more high-tech generation.</span>
<span>Birchler then came up with a new approach to offering the Muni Band to the community. Local businesses, churches, nursing homes and other community entities soon became popular sites to host the band concerts.</span>
<span>Birchler brought more popular music into the musical repertoire along with classic show tunes, marches and the more traditional summer band music lineups. </span>
<span>The annual Popeye Picnic also provided a late summer concert opportunity as did the annual Chester Christmas on the River Community Concert and the annual 4</span><span>th</span><span> of July Celebration on Kaskaskia Island.</span>
<span>Soon, the Municipal Band was performing year-round at various community events. This trend is still available as current Muni Band director, Steve Colonel, has continued to have the Muni Band as an available option for various major community events.</span>
<span>Many of the Municipal Band members of the Birchler era and early Colonel era are now aging and unable or unwilling to perform any more.</span>
<span>The average age of the 40-person band has continued to become younger and younger over the years.</span>
<span>Likewise, many of the people who used to host the concerts at the local establishments have grown older and less willing or able to organize and host the Muni Band concerts as they did 20 years ago.</span>
<span>Thus, the focus of the presentation of the band has once again changed to accommodate the more modern society and times.</span>
<span>Birchler retired as Muni Band Director decades ago and Steve Colonel and his wife, Sue, have taken over most of the responsibility for the band.</span>
<span>The Chester City Council is still very supportive of the musical art form and people still enjoy the annual Municipal Band Summer Music Concert Series.</span>
<span>Sue Colonel is the band director at the Chester Grade School, where she has been for 15 years. Likewise, Steve Colonel is the Band and Choral director at Chester High School, where he motivates and educates music students in three instrumental and two vocal programs. </span>
<span>Both Colonels see the Muni Band and a continuing education opportunity for students who have already graduated and as an augment to their school music programs for current students.</span>
<span>The Chester Municipal Band is open to adult musicians of all ages, as well as students who have been recruited or selected by Steve or Sue Colonel.</span>
<span>If a student has the musical ability to perform at the level to handle the music played by the band, the Colonels typically include that student for the summer band as a way to increase his or her expertise. </span>
<span>Concerts are scheduled on the following nights the remainder of the summer:</span>
<span>June 30 - Gazebo, 7 p.m.</span>
<span>July 4 - Kaskaskia Island, 12:30 p.m.</span>
<span>July 7 - Gazebo, 7 p.m.</span>
<span>July 14 - No concert</span>
<span>July 21 - Gazebo, 7 p.m.</span>
<span>July 28 - Three Springs Lodge, 7 p.m.</span>
<span>August 4 - Gazebo, 7 p.m.</span>
<span>September 13 - Gazebo, 5:30 p.m.</span>