An exciting 2025 indoor season is about to start for the members of the Karl L. King Municipal Band of Fort Dodge. Three concerts have been scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 16; March 23; and April 27. All concerts begin at 3:30 p.m. and are held in the Fort Dodge Middle School Auditorium, located at 800 N. 32nd St. There is no admission charge, with these concerts being provided by the City of Fort Dodge.

There have only been five conductors of the band in the past 124 seasons. Carl Quist was the first, having directed from 1901 until 1920. When Quist left for the West Coast, band members ran an advertisement in a national music magazine seeking applications from interested conductors. Two men from Ohio were named as finalists and Karl L. King was the band member’s choice. King directed for 50 seasons from 1921 until his death in 1971.

W.B. Green was chosen next to be the third conductor, starting in the summer of 1971. Green had been a long-time player with the band. He suffered a fatal heart attack in June 1977, and five band members were interested in becoming the next conductor, so each took a concert to finish out the summer. The band members ultimately selected Reginald R. Schive as the fourth conductor to begin the 1978 season. Schive was also a long-time player and Fort Dodge native.

Schive retired as conductor in 2002 and Jerrold P. Jimmerson, also a Fort Dodge native and long-time player with the band, was chosen as only the fifth conductor to begin the 2003 season. Jimmerson retired as conductor last July after a 43-year playing career and then 22 seasons as conductor. Dan Cassady has now become the interim conductor while a search is on for the next leader of the band.

This Feb. 16 concert will be the band’s annual tribute to former Conductor Karl L. King in honor of his birthday. A special afternoon of band music is being planned to include some of King’s best-known and most popular compositions, including “Barnum and Bailey’s Favorite March,” King’s masterpiece. In addition, there will be a salute to “The Golden Age of Broadway,” featuring several well-known Rodgers and Hammerstein classics.

The March 23 concert will be the band’s annual Irish Concert to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. This concert dates back to the early days of the Band under King’s direction. A wide variety of music is being planned, and will include everyone’s favorite Irish tune, “MacNamara’s Band,” along with an audience sing-along led by Roger Netz , Manson.

Guest soloist for this concert will be Paul Bloomquist on trombone. Bloomquist, a native of Dayton, is director of bands at Iowa Central Community College, and also the band’s announcer. He will be featured on two selections, the beautiful Irish classic, “Londonderry Air,” and Arthur Pryor’s technical showcase, “Razzazza Mazzazza.”

The April 27 concert is the band’s annual Scholarship Concert, where talented high school seniors and college freshmen audition for three scholarships that the band annually administers. More information will be released later about that exciting conclusion to the band’s indoor season.

For additional information and pictures about Karl King or the Municipal Band, or any weather cancellations, visit the band’s web site at www.karlking.us, or the band’s facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/karlkingband/.