Marquette City Band going strong since the 1880’s

The Marquette City Band kicked off its summer concert series Thursday night.

The band is excited for this season, because the organization recently received three different grants to help fund its operations and fund the inaugural U.P. Band festival, and to buy instruments.

“It means a lot to us to receive the grants,” Marquette City Band President Ben Bohnsack said. “We’ve been a city band for decades, far as we know for all of the life of the band, so being able to expand our season, being able to begin to do some other things with instruments we own, is a good thing all the way around. We’re excited about it.”

The band is made up of community members who simply love playing their instruments.

“We’re out for our enjoyment and we hope the audience comes because they enjoy hearing the music,” Bohnsack said. “(At our concerts) I think fans are always looking for marches, and most concerts will include a march or two. As we follow out themes you’ll find things that are familiar, you’ll also find things that are challenging—challenging to the musicians and probably to the audience.”

Marquette City Band concerts are free, and the concerts are at the Presque Isle Bandshell on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.  Each concert has a different theme.  For a complete schedule, visit the Marquette City Band’s website or Facebook page.