The Karl King Band is seen performing in front of the Fort Dodge Public Library this season.  With the renovation of the Karl King Bandshell in Oleson Park still in progress, again this year there was a need to move the location of the traditional Sunday night concerts.  Known to many residents as the City Square, the park was renamed Karl L. King Park several years ago by the Fort Dodge City Council.

True to the band’s tradition and heritage, this June 24th concert featured several marches, including Garland Entry, The Trombone King and Aviation Tournament, along with the circus galop, Sunshine, all written by the band’s namesake, Karl L. King.  Also on the program was Knightsbridge March, written by the English composer, Eric Coates, as the third movement for his London Suite.

Other selections included overture, Omar Khayyam, written by Karl King.  Lighter sounds by Karl King included a trombone novelty, Mournful Maggie.  Also on the program was Paul Yoder’s Rush Street Tarantella, and highlights from the popular Broadway musical, The Music Man, written by Iowan Meredith Willson.

State Senator Daryl Beall presented a Proclamation designating the Trombone as the State Instrument of Iowa.  We already have a State bird, a State tree, a State song, and a State Rock. Why shouldn’t we have a State Musical Instrument as well?  The trombone was a popular choice of Meredith Willson, Karl King, and Glenn Miller, so it is fitting for Iowa to honor these musicians.

Dr. John D. Perkins, performing on trumpet, was the guest soloist for this concert.  Mr. Perkins is currently on the faculty of Central Methodist University in Missouri, where he teaches studio trumpet and horn, coaches the brass quintet, teaches music education courses, and assists with the bands.  Prior to relocating to Missouri in 2004, he previously served on the faculties of Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania, and Angelo State University in Texas.  He also served as a music educator in a San Antonio area school district, and served as a Graduate Assistant at the University of Texas while completing work on his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in trumpet at the University of Texas in Austin in 2001.  He has also earned degrees from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.

Mr. Perkins has recently joined the Show Me Brass Ensemble in Columbia Missouri, and has performed for 9 seasons with the Shippensburg Festival Chamber Orchestra in Pennsylvania, as well as having performed as a member of several orchestras and brass ensembles in Texas, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.  This was Mr. Perkins' second appearance as soloist with the King Band.

Mr. Perkins, originally a native of Minnesota, performed the trumpet solo, Inflammatus from Stabat Mater, by the Italian composer, Rossini, and then one of the classic trumpet solo Sounds From The Hudson by Herbert L. Clarke.

The Karl L. King Municipal Band of Fort Dodge, Iowa presented a special concert of many patriotic songs in honor of the Independence Day holiday.   Marches included were Karl L. King’s The Defending Circle and Salute To Camp Harrison, along with John Philip Sousa’s Semper Fidelis and The Stars and Stripes Forever.

Special numbers included Morton Gould’s arrangement of American Salute, a performance of the 1812 Overture by the Russian composer Tschaikowsky, and America, The Beautiful, as arranged by Carmen Dragon.

Many special guest performers were featured during this evening's concert.  First, a Dixieland Combo took center stage to perform a medley of familiar songs done in a Dixieland style.

Combo members performing Dixieland Jamboree  include Ardella Hein, Fort Dodge, clarinet; Alan Bridge, Storm Lake, tenor saxophone; Tim Miller, Humboldt, trumpet;  Dennis Anderson, Rockwell City, trombone; G. B. Evans, Webster City, tuba; and Jeremy Smith, Fort Dodge, on trap set.

Shari Netz, from Manson, sang two well-known selections with the band, Sigmund Romberg’s patriotic classic, Stouthearted Men followed by one of the greatest songs of all time, As Time Goes By.   Shari is a graduate of the Manson High School, has sung with several area bands including the Ralph Scott Orchestra and LD Three, and is a member of the Manson Meridian Singers and her local church choir.  She is employed as a legal secretary in Rockwell City.

Our national anthem, The Star-spangled Banner closed the evening’s concert.