Click here to
see pictures from our 2006 season
Click here to
see pictures from our 2005 season
The Band throughout its history
Click on the picture to see a full-size version of each
picture, then use your Web browser's back button to return to this page.
This picture of the Fond du Lac Military Band is
believed to have been taken shortly after the group was organized in 1898. The
setting appears to be Lakeside Park, which had been purchased by the city in
1895. Conductor and Business Manager H. G. Bowen is seated in front. The number
of musicians (24) and most of the instrumentation corresponds to the list which
was published in The Commonwealth on May 28, 1898, when the Band’s formation
was announced.
This picture was taken in 1950, shortly after new
uniforms had been purchased. In the background is the old Lakeside Park
Pavilion, which, like the present structure, was adjacent to the Bandstand. The
picture was furnished by Jerry Abraham, one of Joe Schmitz’s many students who
played in the Band. With Schmitz’s encouragement, Abraham earned a degree in
music from UW-Madison. He recently retired from a long career on the music
faculty at UW-Green Bay. Shown in the picture are: Front
Row: Herman Mertz, Betty Gysbers, Miles Adrian, A. K. Steen, Norman Rodat, Lee
Righter, Eugene Noe, Ervin Yanke, Ray Roehrdanz, E. J. Wenzlaff, Arno Werner;
Middle Row: Lynn Fairbanks, Leslie Lehman, M.G.
Huber, Lester Thuerwachter, Charles Doms, Jack Wenzlaff, Wilmer Mensch, Roy
Strebe, Francis Schleger, Alvin Schneiter, George Roy, Fern Abraham Kirkpatrick,
Wilmer Schroeder, Joseph Schmiltz (conductor); Back
Row: Bernard Schmidt, Kenneth Munson, George Ferdinand, Lawrence Kimpel, Donald
Henslin, Jerome Abraham, Gerald Deitte, and William Mumm.
This photo was taken at the Community Band’s spring concert
at Goodrich Little Theatre on April 17, 1977. The new, "casual"
uniforms were in fact leisure jackets, purchased from the J. C. Penney close-out
catalog at a mean price of $15 each! Shown are: Front
Row: Maxine Averbeck, Rita Pautsch, Greg Pellerin, Barbara Berg, Sue Scherberl,
Stacy Shamrock, Linda Rather, Sue Spaulding, Carol Mitzelfeldt, Joan (Thompson)
Perry, Mary Arthur. Second Row - left side, L-R: Bob Kuehn, Jill Kaiser, Lori
Kiesow, Colleen Burns. Second Row - right side, L-R: Ann Schlaefer, Elena
Lindsley, Judy Wachholz, Rhonda Haney. Third Row: Claire (Lepien) Koehler, Bill
Fuhrmann, Steve Caine, Tim Friess, Mari Marks, Carla Wifler, Gary Frazier,
Virginia Perrizo, Mary Zastrow, Chris Schaefer, Jim LaMendola, Diane Neckuty,
Annette Honold, Gerry Scudella, Joanne Talaska, Greg Delfeld. Fourth Row
(beginning with percussion): Joan Lauby, Gary Beal, Ken Fisher, Robert Smith,
Peter Wagner, Rick Merk, Al Beau, Mike Marks, Sr. Cecelia Schlaefer, Linda
Kiesow, Anthony Schlaefer, Jim Arthur, Mike Wilhelms, Brad Curran, Janice Jacobi,
Sydney Mertz, Linda (Krueger) Tack, Tom Perry, Ray Wifler. Back Row: Darrell
Koplitz, David Guy, Wayne Hundertmark, George Johnston, Ben Reehl, Steve Justman,
Tim Richardson, Mary Beth Senn, Richard Henke
This photo of the school year band was taken in April, 1994,
in front of Marian College, where the Band has been in residence since 1985. It
marked the 20th anniversary of the Band’s reorganization. The members seated
in the front row are those who belonged to the Band continuously since 1974 or
before. Front Row: Claire Koehler, Jan Jacobi, Jim
Arthur, Bill Fuhrmann, Mary Bauer, Carla Wifler, Ray Wifler, Mary Arthur, Joan
Perry, Rita Pautsch, Maxine Averbeck. 2nd Row: Dale Shipe, Carol Blain, Heidi
Zabel, Virginia Perrizo, Gerry Scudella, Jan Walters, Jana Schmitz, Judy
Pellerin, Shirley Krueger, Sharon Seymour, Ellen Schmid, Kari Mand, Denise
Thompson, Lori Page, Lamont Page. 3rd Row: Linda Higley, Tess Flaherty, Mary Liz
Julka, J.R. Julka, Don Steward, Lynne Uecker, Dick Wehner, Julie LaVine, Jeanne
Mueller, Lisa Pankratz, Kristie Ely, Kari Eggert, Crystal Hardtke, Courtney
Zeien, Anna Snider, Gail Zimmerman, Linda Struye, Tanya Ziegler (guest soloist
and Miss Wisconsin-1993). 4th Row: Elizabeth Sell, Bill Manka, Jim Reichling,
Shawn Palmer, Jim Neujahr, John Ahlstrom, Steve Justman, Art Hintz, Joan Syens,
Lisa Sheahan, Althea Noukki, Carolyn Bernier, Sandy Kuik, Ann Marie Klewicki.
5th Row: Sally Rhudy, John Lepien, Jason Ehlert, Steve Uecker, Jim Kelly, Mike
Marks, Bob Milanowski, Paul Reigel, Linda Berres, Rodd Eggert, Jim Pingry, Steve
Speidel, David Page, Robin Speidel, Paul Hayes, Nick Wessel
This 100th anniversary photo was taken on April 26, 1998 in
front of Marian College, Carl Prasser, Photographer. Officers and Board Members
are seated in the front row. Front Row: Stephen
Speidel, Rodd Eggert, John Ahlstrom, Kristie Ely, Jan Walters, Carla Wifler, Ray
Wifler, Mary Arthur, Joan Perry, Judy Pellerin, Mary Liz Julka, Kathy Nachtwey,
Jan Jacobi. Second Row: Claire Koehler, Carol Blain, John Lepien, Lisa Zaleski,
Donna Dunning, Scott Vahl, Nickole Kawleski, Angie Rebek, Linda Berres, Rita
Pautsch, Ellen Schmid, Sarah Cook, Ann Klewicki, Donna Wirth, Lori Page, Sandy
Scudella (vocalist). Third Row: Jim Ninneman, Jim Kelly, Tess Flaherty, Kari
Mand, Diane Chiesa, Gerry Scudella, Arthur Hintz, Sandy Kuik, Lisa Pankratz,
Lisa Sheahan, Erika Wifler, Kathy Hansen, Denise Thompson, Carolyn Bernier.
Fourth Row: David Thompson, Sally Rhudy, J.R. Julka, Marcie Anderson, Dan
Steward, Joe Mitchell, Wayne Wallschlaeger, Linda Struye, Kimberly Scott,
Shirley Krueger, Michele Westphal, Tami Dutton, Nicole Biese, Virginia Perrizo,
Warren Wirth, Robin Speidel. Fifth Row: Jason Ehlert, Jim Arthur, Steve Uecker,
Steve Justman, Bob Milanowski, Mike Marks, Lynne Uecker, Bob Shirek, Dan
Gilgenbach, Jim Pingry, Nick Wessel, Maxine Averbeck, Marsha Matthews, Michele
Kiefer, Heidi Zabel, Tim Nachtwey, Lamont Page.
This photo of the band was taken April, 2002 on the stage of
Fond du Lac High School's Performing Arts Center. ROW 1, L - R: , Maxine
Averbeck, Rita Pautsch, Mary Liz Julka , Dale Shipe, Julie LaVine, Lisa Sheahan,
Lynne Uecker, Mary Arthur, Judy Pellerin, Robin Speidel, Joan Perry. ROW
2, L - R:, Lori Page, Tami Dutton, Donna Wirth, Angela Allen , Jan Walters,
Carla Wifler, Ellen Schmid, Linda Berres, Dan Gilgenbach, Nickole Kawleski,
Chris Schaefer, Rosemary McGee, Lisa Pankratz, Gerry Scudella, Kristie Ely,
Sherri Beisser. ROW 3, L - R:, Linda Struye, Sandy Kuik, Tanya Williams, Ryan
Milanowski , Shirley Krueger, Kathy Hansen, Kristin Burlingame, Heidi Zabel,
Carol Roge, Van Shipe, Mike Marks, Erika Wifler, Kris Bonde, Diane Chiesa, Jim
Arthur, Art Hintz, Lisa Zemlock, Steve Speidel, Jan Jacobi, Warren Wirth, Carol
Blain, Kathy Nachtwey, Debbie Berger, Claire Koehler ROW
4, L - T:, Kari Mand, Bill McGee, Wayne Wallschlaeger, Lamont Page, Robert
Milanowski, Scott Elford, Scott Welak, George Smith, Nick Wessel, Jim Pingry,
Jill Wagner, Marcie Ninnemann, Ray Wifler (standing), Marsha Matthews, Jim
Kelly, John Ahlstrom, John Lepien, Jim Ninnemann, Jason Ehlert, Steve Uecker,
Dan Steward, Rodd Eggert
The Centennial Band is a wind ensemble of 18 to 30 players
that performs at festivals, picnics and other special events throughout Fond du
Lac County and beyond. Formerly called the Festival Ensemble, the group earned
its new moniker during the Band’s Centennial celebration in 1998, when it
presented a series of concerts in the style of "military" or concert
bands at the turn of the 20th century. Personnel shown above, at Fond
du Lac’s Galloway House are: Row 1 – Ray Wifler,
Donna Wirth, Rita Pautsch, Judy Pellerin. Row 2 – Nickole Kawleski, Tami
Dutton, Andrew Coffey, Sherri Beisser, Virginia Perrizo. Row 3 – Tim Nachtwey,
Diane Chiesa, Erika Wifler, Warren Wirth. Row 4 – Dan Steward, Jason Ehlert,
J. R. Julka, Jill Wagner, Nick Wessel.
The Centennial Band enjoyed a goodwill tour to northeast
Wisconsin on Aug. 18-20, 2000. The twenty-eight musicians who participated were
photographed at the bandstand on the lawn of the Veterans Home at King WI, after
a Sunday afternoon concert for about 100 veterans, spouses and friends.
Performances were also held at Loon Lake near Shawano on Friday evening, and at
Lake Park in Antigo as part of a Buckskin Rendezvous on Saturday afternoon.
(Photo Credit: Jim Chiesa)
Music in the Park
In the summer of 1959 the Saturday Evening Post ran the above
photo in its "The Face of America" series. Under the title"Music
in the Park," the caption read as follows:
Once upon a bygone time, bandstands such as this one in
Lakeside Park, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, stood proudly in almost every town
square. Here lay the Sabbath’s most exciting – in fact, only – public
entertainment. Americans who came along before such newfangled devices as
movies, radio and television lured the audiences indoors can well remember
when the warm breath of summer brought, as surely as lilacs, the Sunday band
concert. The soft wind rustled the leaves, old folks visited with neighbors,
youngsters played tag on the dandelion-dotted grass, and courting couples
found seats in the shadows where, possibly, they might hold hands. The band
leader, splendid in blue and gold, brought down his baton – and the glorious
strains of Ta-ra-ra-boom-der-é or Semper Fidelis burst forth . . . . It is
still that way on the shore of Lake Winnebago, where for fifty-nine years the
Fond du Lac Military Band has played open-air concerts from this bandstand
every Sunday from Memorial Day through Labor Day – concerts that will
continue for many years to come, say the people of this band-music-loving
town.
The musician three chairs to the right of the Conductor in the
front row (partially hidden by the trumpet player next to the railing) is Jim
Arthur, who learned trumpet from Joe Schmitz and continues in the Band today as
its currently-oldest member.
Music in the Park (Current Day)
Shown here is the audience that attended the
August, 2000 performance by the Kids from Wisconsin at Buttermilk Creek Park.
Capacity crowds such as this regularly turn out for the Buttermilk Festival's
headliner events, including the Kids from Wisconsin, Milwaukee Symphony
Orchestra and Dorf Kapelle.
Music Directors
