Dear Band,

All I can say is “Thank you and WOW!”

It seems as if I keep asking you to do more and you get it done, somehow. Because of the Cowboy Concert, I really didn’t know if we could get the spring concert that playable with four weeks of less rehearsal. I appreciate you’re digging in and doing what was needed. Your attitude makes all the difference in how I pick the music to rehearse and how we rehearse. Please keep it up.

There are many to thank for the success of the concert. Without a doubt, if it had not been for your President, Jerry Butler, we could not have pulled everything together. Jerry not only made phone calls, sent emails and followed up, he attended many of the re-enactors’ meetings.

Suzanne Brown Brennen, your Vice-president did a yeoman’s job in keeping us all in line with her spread sheet of activities “to do” and filled the gaps where needed.

Jean Collion spent hours putting the flyers and program together again – for the fifth year, I think.

Of course Debra Catron pulled a few miracles out of her magic hat in getting the great publicity and article in The Times. Debra was also responsible for the reception. I was one of the last to leave and Debra, her mother and her husband were still cleaning up after the reception.

Our three Assistant Directors/Conductors did such a nice job in getting us ready to perform. Ron Foster and his son always do a fantastic job with the recordings. Doug Bryant again managed to get everything set up for the rehearsal and the concert plus putting things back in place, (the crew, Jerry Brady, Steve Ryan, Jerry Butler, Parker Henderson, Pam Johnson and Alana Rochester).

Without a doubt all of the “extras” like B.J. Williams, The Grenadiers Drum and Bugle Corps from Riverside, the re-enactors and docents, John La Forge, the ushers, the photographers…..all added to the success of the concert.

There were two men that made things work like they were supposed to, Barry Sanders and Bob Folsum. Their job was to work with the “extras” to make them feel welcome, to know when they were to do what, to handle any emergency and to see that everyone was at the right place at the right time – well done guys.

I know that I have inadvertently left somebody out who deserves to be mentioned for their “above the bandsman’s responsibility”. Your contribution was needed. Please forgive me if I omitted anyone.

Now we move on to another adventure. We will start on the Lakeside and Patriotic music tomorrow. You got the list last week with all the errors. Please bring all of the songs listed.

I look forward to working with you.

As I think about the concert Sunday, I actually was able to do more conducting yesterday that usual – THANKS!

Be safe and see you Tuesday. Bring your stories about the concerts to share. One is below that many of us didn’t know about.

See ya’

Richard

email to me, “Richard

I know you saw I was having issues today and I wanted to let you know what happened. Basically, my first valve assembly had a component failure. Specifically, The brass stop which hits the cork or neoprene on each stroke back and forth detached from the spindle assembly and simultaneously the set screw which holds the actuator arm from button to spindle sheared off. First valve catastrophic failure! When I left the stage, I went to band room and found a butter knife in one of John’s drawers. Armed with the butter knife I swapped the working components of the 4th valve to the first valve assembly and then taped the 4th valve into the in-actuated position. Mark”

He did come back and finished the concert.