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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to congratulate the members of the
4 Naperville Municipal Band on the occasion of the organization's
5 150th anniversary; and
 
6     WHEREAS, The Naperville Municipal Band dates back to 1859,
7 when a group of 15 men assembled, practiced, and played for a
8 4th of July picnic at Burlington Park in Naperville; the band's
9 earliest members included Joseph Hiltenbrand, John V. Kreger,
10 Wes Beidelman, Joseph Krapf, John Collins, Joseph Bapst, Jacob
11 Heim, Valentine Dieter, and James Vallete; Mr. Vallette's
12 cornet is currently on display at the Interlochen National
13 Music Camp in Michigan; and
 
14     WHEREAS, The Naperville Municipal Band used to perform on
15 Saturday nights in downtown Naperville, usually setting up on a
16 street corner under the street light so musicians could see the
17 music; in the 1890s, the City of Naperville built a band shell
18 in Central Park, which lasted until 1926; the band as it is
19 known today was organized in 1929 under the direction of Elmer
20 Koerner, a mathematics teacher and band instructor in the
21 Naperville Public Schools; and
 
22     WHEREAS, The Naperville Municipal Band was incorporated as

 

 

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1 "The Naperville Municipal Band" as a not-for-profit under a new
2 Illinois Band Law, with a tax supporting the band passed by
3 Naperville voters on April 30, 1930; a wooden band shell was
4 constructed in Central Park in the mid-1930s and was used until
5 it was condemned by the city in 1963; the voters of Naperville
6 once again came to the band's rescue with a referendum to build
7 a new concrete "permanent" shell; the shell was completed and
8 dedicated in June of 1966; unfortunately, it too was condemned
9 and demolished in 1999; in response, the City of Naperville
10 approved the construction of a substantial structure that will
11 serve not only as a concert facility, but also as a year-round
12 home for the band; the ground-breaking ceremony for the
13 structure took place on January 4, 2002; and
 
14     WHEREAS, The Naperville Municipal Band has played under a
15 variety of names throughout its history, including the
16 Naperville Light Guard Band, the Naperville Lounge Factory, and
17 the Naperville City Band; in addition to playing concerts in
18 the Naperville park, the band travels to area parades and
19 provides music for civic functions, such as the inauguration of
20 city council members and the dedication of a new city hall; and
 
21     WHEREAS, The Naperville Municipal Band is full of
22 tradition, having many long-time members; currently, the band
23 features 100 members that come from many different backgrounds,
24 including teachers, housewives, butchers, bankers, dentists,

 

 

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1 and doctors; Ron Keller, who taught instrumental music in the
2 Naperville District 203 school system, has been the band's
3 musical director since 1965; he is the great-grandson of
4 original member Joseph Bapst and began playing with the band 40
5 years ago; and
 
6     WHEREAS, The Naperville Municipal Band is currently
7 working on a project to recreate the original "Naperville Light
8 Guard Band", with uniforms and instruments of the period circa
9 1880-1900; and
 
10     WHEREAS, The Naperville Municipal Band and its diverse
11 group of musicians draws crowds of as many as 5,000 people to
12 its Thursday night summer concerts at the Elmer Koerner Band
13 Shell in Central Park; in 1991, the band won the Sudler Scroll
14 from the John Philip Sousa Foundation for excellence in
15 community bands, making the band the sixth to receive this
16 award since its inception in 1985; and
 
17     WHEREAS, The members of the Naperville Municipal Band serve
18 as models of hard work, integrity, and dedication for the
19 people of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it
 
20     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
21 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
22 congratulate the members of the Naperville Municipal Band on

 

 

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1 the occasion of the organization's 150th anniversary and wish
2 them continued success and happiness in the future; and be it
3 further
 
4     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
5 presented to the Naperville Municipal Band as a symbol of our
6 esteem and respect.