The Karl L. King Municipal Band will continue its 2024 summer season on Sunday with a concert beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the Karl L. King Band Shell in Oleson Park. There is no admission charge, with these concerts being provided by the City of Fort Dodge. Jerrold P. Jimmerson is the conductor of the Karl King Band, with Dan Cassady the assistant conductor, and Paul Bloomquist the announcer.

Persons attending these band concerts are reminded to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets. No seating is provided. The Good Shepherd Lutheran Church will again be selling homemade ice cream and fresh-baked cake preceding and during the concert.

Classical band selections to be performed include the “Second Suite in F Major for Military Band,” a four-movement collection of songs by English composer Gustav Holst. Another English composer, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ fanfare-like “Flourish for Wind Band” will open the concert, and Austrian composer Gustav Mahler’s “Excerpts from Symphony No. 3 — Finale” is also on the program.

The “March of Time #1,” a composite of 6 world-famous and best-selling marches written to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the C.L. Barnhouse Co. of Oskaloosa in 1936 will be featured. It includes Karl King’s masterpiece and most famous composition, “Barnum and Bailey’s Favorite March.” Also on the program is Karl King’s “The Trombone King,” and his fantasia, “Sunny Spain,” dedicated to former band member and drummer Phil Peters, along with Fred Jewell’s exciting circus galop simply titled “Go.”

The recent passing of Mary Kay Heimbruch, long-time King Band member in the clarinet section, will be memorialized with King’s dirge, “Our Last Farewell.” Heimbruch had a 30-year teaching career with the Fort Dodge School System, and an additional 10 years as principal piano accompanist with Iowa Central Community College.

Guest clarinet soloist during this concert will be Christina Tait from Ames, an advisor at Iowa State University. After her graduation from Ottumwa High School, she earned her bachelor of music education degree at Iowa State University and her master degree in Clarinet Performance from Western Illinois University. Her teaching experience includes Kuemper Catholic Middle School in Carroll and as a music teacher in the Ottumwa Schools. She has performed with several different symphony orchestras and concert bands in both Iowa and Illinois, including those in Fort Dodge, Des Moines, southeastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois. She has taught classes in band, chorus, general music, and technology at several different grade levels in both Iowa and Illinois’ schools and colleges.

Tait will perform Ralph Herman’s exciting solo “Clarinet On The Town” with the band. She will then be joined by Nikole Nuttall, band director at Alta-Aurelia Schools, and Tara Smith, band director at Fort Dodge Middle School, for a clarinet trio performance of Henry Mancini’s “Pie In The Face Polka” from the movie ‘The Great Race.”

Closing this concert will be John Philip Sousa’s march “Golden Jubilee,” celebrating his 50 years as conductor, followed by our National Anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” In case of inclement weather, the concert may be cancelled at the starting time. Any announcements will be made on the band’s Facebook page listing at https://www.facebook.com/karlkingband/.