CCB plays free concerts in the park June-August. Bring a chair and a friend. Enjoy the music. Rennebohm Park is "home of the Capitol City Band" so named by vote of the the Madison Common Council. The band is a legend and a Madison tradition. The band plays free concerts for 12 consecutive Thursday evenings in June, July and August at 7 pm. The concerts are free, last 60 minutes and offer an evenin
g of favorite marches, waltzes, polkas, broadway tunes, sing alongs and encores. What’s a concert in the park without John Philip Sousa? “That, too,” explains music director Jim Latimer, “the US Marine Band has made all of the USMB arrangements of Sousa marches available to the public and we are having fun with it; we plan to play one, two or three at each summer concert.” Historically, the Memorial Day Concert at the State Capitol is the final concert of the winter band’s season (the VFW band). It signals “our move to the park” according to one of the volunteers. Many from the summer band also play in the VFWvolunteer band. Latimer explains that gives them an edge on the music for the summer because the Capitol City Band cannot afford weekly rehearsals for 12 summer concerts. Chair Nancy Riesch-Flannery, gives an enthusiastic shout-out to agencies like the Madison Arts Commission for believing in this musical legacy left to Madison by the late Dr. Elmer Ziegler. Ziegler’s belief was that there should be a professional concert band in every city, village, and town in America. He left his mark in Rock Island IL, Muscatine IA and Madison WI. “I came upon the job quite by accident” said Latimer, “he (Ziegler) asked me to help out with a couple of concerts in the fall of 1980.” Unfortunately, Ziegler passed on in February 1981 and Latimer was faced with the decision of what to do with not one, but two bands. The rest is history. June concerts are rounded out with the annual tribute to the troops – then and now, a patriotic concert featuring the Black Knights Color Guard and Auxiliary from VFW Post 7591. This concert is coordinated by the Madison Veterans Council and VFW Post 1318 (also sponsor of the winter VFW Band). T
Concerts feature the salute to the Dane County Sheriff’s Department, the Madison Police Department, the Madison Fire Department, the County Executive and the Mayor of Madison. The officials from these office each have a night with the band, talk with the audience, close and up front and then conduct the band (the band's role is to make sure the guest conductor looks good, Latimer says with a smile). The officials have kept this tradition going since 1969. The audiences appreciate this gesture of sincerity from the public leaders. “It makes all feel good” commented one of the band supporters. The band plays all summer long. “Thursday nights, that’s what most of the musicians do all year long” according to associate conductor, Dave Pedracine. Most of the musicians play the 12-concert series but every now and then a sub is brought in. Musicians are very busy people in the greater Madison area and CCB musicians are some of the area’s finest.
“That’s it in a nutshell,” said Latimer “we play rain or shine. I like to call it liquid sunshine; after all, the music sounds the same rain or shine and it’s easier for the band to remember to show up." Admission is free. Bring chairs, friends and family. There’s plenty of street parking or in the parkland (thank you Madison Parks Division). Here’s hoping for lots of sunshine for years to come. For more information, call 608 835-9861, visit the web page mmqccb.org.
