The 312 Army Band from Lawrence, Kan., will make an appearance in Fort Dodge as part of its current Midwest tour.
This concert will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Karl L. King Bandshell in Oleson Park.
The concert is free. The band's performance is being sponsored by the Karl L. King Municipal Band and The Messenger.
In case of rain, it will be moved to Decker Auditorium on the campus of Iowa Central Community College.
The 312th Army Band was activated on Oct. 1, 1973, in Lawrence, Kan., as part of the 89th Army Reserve Command headquartered in Wichita, Kan. For a brief period in the early 1970s, the 312th existed as the only all-female band in the Army Reserve. In 1977, an aggressive recruiting campaign was undertaken for both male and female musicians.
The 312th Army Band has grown from those early years to its present roster of soldiers from about 30 professions and academic studies. The band schedules 15 to 25 performances each year and has been named an official "Bicentennial of the United States Constitution" band. The state of Kansas named it an official "Eisenhower Centennial" band.
Fact Box
If you go:
WHO: 312th Army Band.
WHAT: Free concert.
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Oleson Park Bandshell.
IN CASE OF rain, the concert will be at Decker Auditorium on the Iowa Central Community College campus.
The band is the first Army Reserve Band to receive the Col. George S. Howard Citation of Musical Excellence for Military Concert Bands, administered by the John Philip Sousa Foundation in 2005.
The 312th Army Band appeared in Fort Dodge at the Frontier Days celebration in 2008.
The band features a marching band, concert band, large popular music group, small popular music group, brass ensemble, woodwind ensemble, jazz ensemble and ceremonial detail.
In February 2002, the band was invited to the Nuevos Horizontes 2002 in El Salvador and Nicaragua. Nuevos Horizontes, or New Horizons, is a program initiated by the United States State Department to work with countries which have been devastated by war, natural disasters, famine or other events.
It is a joint effort by the military and the local communities who work side by side to rebuild schools, wells, medical clinics and other necessary facilities and to promote good will.
The 312th is under the 88th Regional Support Command at Fort McCoy, Wis., commanded by Maj. Gen. Glenn J. Lesniak. The 88th RSC provides support for the soldiers, families, civilians and units in the Northwest United States.
The band's website is 312tharmyband.army.mil/.