Full Text of HR0559 96th General Assembly
HR0559 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| WHEREAS, The Naperville Municipal Band was incorporated as |
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| "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
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| 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
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| 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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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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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| the occasion of the organization's 150th anniversary and wish | 2 |
| them continued success and happiness in the future; and be it | 3 |
| further
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| 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.
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