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The Karl L. King Municipal Band
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View concert photos from previous seasons
in our Concert Archive
KARL KING BAND PREPARING FOR
INDOOR SEASON:
The
Karl L. King Municipal Band of Fort Dodge, IA is getting set to begin their
2026 indoor concert season. Three dates have been scheduled, and
will be Sunday, February 15th ; Sunday, March 22nd; and Sunday, April 26th.
These concerts begin at 3:30 p.m., and are held in the Fort Dodge Middle
School Auditorium, located at 800 North 32 nd St. in Fort Dodge.
There is no admission charge, with these concerts being provided by the
City of Fort Dodge.
This
nationally-known group can trace their origins back to the 1870’s, when
military veterans and local citizens formed their first band.
Two competing groups existed for several years until they organized into
the Fort Dodge Municipal Band around 1901. This group is currently
under the direction of Conductor Dan Cassady. The band annually
performs a series of at least 12 concerts each year locally, and has also
been featured through the years at state, national, and international conventions.
The
February 15th concert will be the Band’s annual tribute to former Conductor
Karl L. King. A special afternoon of band music is being planned
to include several of King’s best-known and most popular compositions,
including his most famous one, Barnum and Bailey’s Favorite March,
and King’s dedication to his wife Ruth with Lovers Lane. On the
popular side will be a medley of well-known Frank Sinatra favorites and
Hoagy Carmichael’s Stardust.
Karl
King was born on February 21, 1891 in Paintersville, Ohio.
After his childhood in Ohio, he left at the age of 19 and traveled for
9 years with several different circuses, playing in or conducting several
of their bands, and reached the pinnacle of success as conductor of the
famous Barnum and Bailey Circus Band during the 1917 and 1918 seasons.
King
came to Fort Dodge in the fall of 1920 to conduct the local Municipal Band,
a position he held for more than 50 years until his death in March of 1971.
He published nearly 300 compositions for Band, with nearly 200 of those
being marches. He was truly America’s March King!
He is Fort Dodge’s most famous citizen, with a highway bridge (one of only
three in the United States named after a bandmaster), a city park which
contains his statue, and a band shell, all named in his honor.
The
March 22nd concert is the Band’s annual Irish Concert to celebrate St.
Patrick’s Day. This concert dates back to the early days of
the Band under Karl King’s direction. Conductor Cassady has
planned a wide variety of Irish music, and will include an audience sing-along
of When Irish Eyes Are Smiling and My Wild Irish Rose, led
by Roger Netz, along with everyone’s favorite Irish tune, MacNamara’s
Band, all arranged by one of the band’s previous conductors,
Reginald R. Schive.
The April 26th concert will be
the Band’s annual Scholarship Concert, where talented high school seniors
and college freshmen can audition for three scholarships that the Band
annually awards. Watch for more details regarding this concert
in future issues of Twist and Shout.
For additional information and
pictures about Karl King or the Municipal Band, or for any weather-related
cancellations, visit the band’s Facebook page.
View some photos from the 2025
Scholarship
Concert.
View photos from the last concert
of conductor Jerrold Jimmerson
View the programs from the 2023
Concert Season
The Karl L. King Municipal Band of Fort Dodge is
seen during a practice session
before taking the stage.
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