Park Band opens concert season Wednesday

By Daniel Human
Tribune staff writer

June 07, 2009 08:27 pm

— Park band schedule
All concerts are 8 p.m. on Wednesdays at Highland Park. If it rains, the concerts move to the auditorium at Kokomo High School’s South Campus.
June 10: “Maestro’s Favorites”
June 17: “Opening Night on Broadway”
June 24: “Spotlight on Youth”
July 1: “The Greatest Generation – A Musical Tribute to World War II”
July 8: Big Band Night: “The Best of Big Band Night”
July 15: “Side by Side” Concert: “Songs and Dances”
July 22: “Brass Band Night”
July 29: “See the U.S.A.”

It’s been 20 years since Stephen Rhodes first stood holding a baton in front of the Kokomo Park Band.
To recognize the landmark anniversary, the band’s board of directors decided to dedicate the band’s season opener on Wednesday in Rhodes’ honor.
“We pick the music a year or two in advance,” Rhodes said. “... I realized last year this is my 20th anniversary, so I kind of did that for myself.”
Rhodes hasn’t always been the conductor. He joined the band as a trombonist in 1978; however, his time is barely a dent in the band’s history, which dates back to the Civil War.
The band got its start, under the leadership of Miami native Byron Reed, by playing at recruitment rallies, parades and union meetings.
Since its early years, Kokomo Park Band has passed through many leaders and names, all while playing at events such as the Indianapolis 500 and Kokomo Red Sox baseball games, according to the band’s Web site. However, the Wednesday concerts have remained a tradition.
Larry Kirkman, the band’s manager, said the Wednesday concerts average between 1,000 and 1,500 audience members.
The band’s approximate 45 members rehearse Tuesdays for the next day’s show, Kirkman said.
The band, which is a non-profit group, is supported by grants and private contributions, he said.
This week’s concert will kick off the eight-show season that spans through July. Concerts are always 8 p.m. at Highland Park, unless it rains, which would move the show to the auditorium at Kokomo High School’s South Campus.
Wednesday’s program will feature the Pipes and Drums band of Anderson Highland High School. The traditionally British and Scottish style band will play several Highland-style marches with the Kokomo Park Band, Rhodes said.
“It’s such an amazing sound and there’s not a whole lot of music written for pipes and bands,” Rhodes said.
During his 31 years with the band, Rhodes said his favorite shows have been the historically-themed ones, such as the big band-style concert on July 8. Among those, Rhodes said, shows with music by John Philip Sousa are the best.
For the Sousa concerts, Rhodes said, he pays homage to the former military musician by dressing in a lieutenant commander’s coat he bought at an Army-Navy surplus store.
“With my beard and gray hair, I look an awful lot like Sousa every year we do [the concert],” Rhodes said.
• Daniel Human is a Kokomo Tribune staff writer. He can be reached at (765) 454-8570 or at daniel.human@kokomotribune.com.

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