The Lawrence City Band performs at the Summer Concert Series | Wednesday 17 July 2024
Lawn chairs and picnic blankets cover the grass at South Park as community members gather for the Lawrence City Band’s Summer Concert Series. The band has been performing for over 100 years and they spend eight Wednesdays in June and July entertaining the community.
“I think we’re so blessed in Lawrence to have a band concert in our park,” said community member Carladyne Conyers. “I mean a lot of them are retired music teachers and just outstanding musicians. I haven’t missed any this year.”
The Lawrence City Band is made up of 60 members, hailing from Lawrence and the surrounding areas, who learn the pieces for that week an hour before the performance. After an hour-long rehearsal, the band members move to South Park for their performance under direction of conductor Paul Popiel and assistant conductor Martin Bergee.
“If things go wrong the first time it’s not possible to fix them,” Bergee said. “You can’t substitute another piece, you can’t call another rehearsal, you just go out there and hope for the best.”
According to Bergee who serves as the chair of the board of directors for the Lawrence City Band, the band is special for both their history and opportunity. The Lawrence City Band has loyal supporters who will show up, rain or shine.
Bergee described a performance that took place in 130 Murphy Hall, a room that can comfortably accommodate an audience of 250-300, an estimated 400 people showed up to support.
The Lawrence City Band serves as a community gathering event cherished by many including Popiel, the Dean of KU’s School of Music and conductor for the Lawrence City Band.
”It’s the community part of this,” Popiel said. “It’s the retirement home buses and kids playing in the fountain. The people eating popcorn and ice cream. The tradition and community — It’s one of my favorite parts of living in Lawrence, these eight Wednesdays in a row.”
Popiel noted the importance of the Lawrence City Band’s tradition is due to their lengthy history dating back to before the Civil War. According to the official website, the first incarnation, made up of eight men, had their first and last official performance on August 20, 1863.
On August 21, the day after the band performed, William Quantrill raided Lawrence and killed four of the eight band members. The surviving members went on to serve as a military band and had several iterations since. It wasn’t until 1900 that Buch’s Military Band began resembling what the Lawrence City Band looks like today.
This history is felt by both the community and band members who participate in the tradition. Deborah O’Neal, whose son performs in the band, has been attending the Summer Concert Series for 20 years.
“I feel like it’s a little bit of Americana,” O’Neal said. “It’s all different ages of people coming together. I love the music. I love the atmosphere. It’s a part of Lawrence that you can rely on every year to be part of your summer.”
O’Neal’s sentiments were shared by Paul Laird who serves the band as their cherished “punnouncer,” introducing and sharing the history of the pieces performed.
“I just love being in the park with the band,” Laird said. “The event is just fantastic. I mean it feels like a slice of Americana going back 120 years. It’s just so nice that it’s alive and living here in Lawrence. I love the whole thing.”
Though there have been changes over the years, such as moving the band from performing on the gazebo to using it as a backdrop when it became unworkable, the Summer Concert Series remains a staple event for the community. For over 100 years, The Lawrence City Band has brought the community together to enjoy music at the historic South Park gazebo.