Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1920-12-24
Value of a Band to
Our Own Community
Eagle River Band is Now Re-Or-
ganized and Will Keep Up
Weekly Rehearsals at
the Town Hall.

At its meeting last week the Eagle
River Band recognized after peri
cd of more or less inactivity during
the past year. Officers for the ensu-
ing year were elected as follows:
Director-W. ]. Davies.
Sec.- Treas-Morton Cook.
Walter Gander Jr.
Plans were made TO make the band
an active, energetic organization with
the prestige it should enjoy in a
community of this size. An effort will
be made to increase the membership
and to that end anyone who has ever
played in bands or who desires to
take up an instrument and become a
member is invited to the weekly re-
hearsals. After next week these re-
hearsals will be held every Wednes-
day evening at the town hail. Next
week the practice will be held on
Tuesday evening to avoid conflict
with the Boy Scout movie benefit to
be given at the opera house on the
day following, the regular practice
night
No one believes more firmly in the
value of band to any town than we
do and we feel sure that the boys
will meet with hearty cooperation
from townspeople if they do their
part Appended to this article is a
little clipping from one of our ex-
changes on the band question:
What benefit to a community is a
band? OF the professional band
whose players are artists and whose
playing is finished product, there is
no chance for argument-it bears the
same relation to the community as
the art galleries and Libraries do. So
therefore, take it for granted that
the above query refers to the ordin-
airy country or village band whose
name is legion.
There is a bare possibility that
may be biased in my ideas on this
subject, for from the time when / was
a little chap and carried the tuba to
the band room for one of the play
ers one evening, have been the
champion of the country band. I
have played in them and have in
structed them, and l have sat in the
park on concert nights and listened
to them, and it would take mighty
strong financial interests to make me
live in a town that could not, or
would not support its band.
OF benefit to the community? 4
AS the community is made up of
individuals so anything affecting the
individual affects the community.
There is that in the human breast
that demands amusement, enjoyment,
and relaxation, and if we cannot get it
at home we are going from home to
get it. There are certain few young
men in every village and town who
are unsteady inclined; it is just as
natural for them to play an instru-
ment as it is for others to add col
umn of figures. In utilizing their tai
ent they perform community SER
vice deserving of the support of their
fellow townsmen.
All believe in advertising our town,
and from my experience l believe a
band is one of the best assets in that
line. | lived midway between two
towns; one had band, the other had
not. The town with the band enjoyed
concerts two nights in the week. /
was at that town twice every week.
What merchandise and supplies were
needed came from that town. This
habit became custom, not alone by
me, but by many of the neighbors,
and the engagements this band
played in the surrounding towns
placed their town just little ahead,
in the estimation of everyone, as a
live town. That is business.